Charity Awards take their place in the diary [IN A PACKED MONTH for charity sector
events, the 2022 Charity Awards are set to take place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel on 16 June. The awards will recognise those charities that are innovative, exemplify best practices, and deliver sustainable benefit to communities and society in general. The Charity Awards is Civil Society Media’s annual awards programme held to identify, recognise and reward those organisations doing exceptional work in all areas of charitable activity. The awards process is a year-round programme that uses Civil Society Media’s portfolio of magazines, reports, events and websites to celebrate and highlight best practice across the sector. They are judged by a respected panel of voluntary sector heavyweights, each of them leaders in their own fields with years of experience of leading and managing civil society organisations. The judges assess each entry against Hallmarks of Excellence – attributes that should be present in any successful project. Awards are given out in 10 categories and an overall winner is chosen from the winners in each category. They have been designed so that any charity – regardless of their size, location or cause – can enter their project and be in with a chance of winning.
One past winner, Chloe Rickard of Cool Earth, enthused: “The best bit for me was filling in the Hallmarks of Excellence – attributes that show your organisation is up there with the best. It wasn’t easy to write, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dipped back into the application since applying, because the stuff I wrote about how we display these attributes is proving indispensable for Charity of the Year applications, web copy and annual reports.” John Low, chief executive of sponsors the Charities Aid Foundation, added: “The Charity Awards are always a real high point of the year – an opportunity to recognise and praise the huge achievements of our colleagues working at the front line. We at the Charities
Aid Foundation are delighted to sponsor the Charity Awards and believe it has never been more important to share the stories of our fellow charities.” The awards’ partner is CCLA Investment Management, whose chief executive Peter Hugh Smith commented: “As we emerge ever so tentatively out of the pandemic, there has never been a more fitting time to recognise and honour the endeavours and achievements of charities across the country. These awards celebrate all that is great about the sector – its impact, innovation, resilience, passion and determination – and CCLA is privileged to be able to extend its support for charities through this partnership with Civil Society Media.” q
Trust works to save iconic working horses [
THE SUFFOLK PUNCH TRUST is a registered charity, whose aim is to ensure the survival of the famous horse breed. It was founded in 2002 to save the historic Hollesley Bay Colony Stud. That stud brought a rich legacy of equine and agricultural history which deserves to be saved for future generations to enjoy. The trust aims to achieve that through a successful breeding programme, supported by funding, education and the outreach facility of its visitor centre. The Suffolk Punch is the oldest English breed of working horse, dating from the 16th century. Every Suffolk horse can be traced back to a stallion, known as Crisp’s Horse of Ufford, foaled in 1768. The Suffolk horse was developed for farm work and gained popularity during the early 20th century. As agriculture became mechanised, however, the numbers fell and the breed almost disappeared completely. The aim of the trust is to help save the iconic breed from extinction through its established breeding programme. It is working towards increasing the numbers of horses through normal breeding processes and an artificial insemination programme. It also works to raise public awareness and is training a new generation of professionals to work with and understand the needs of the breed. The Suffolk Punch is incredibly versatile and is now often employed in forestry and ridden work. The Suffolk Punch Trust can only continue its work with the help of donations and legacies. As David Clarke, one of the trust’s directors, explained: “Your legacy, large or small, will make a huge difference to the work we carry out, enabling us to care for our horses and continue the breeding programme to secure this wonderful breed.” q
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