WOMEN IN CHARITY AWARDS

The winners of the first Buckinghamshire Women in Charity Awards were announced 8 March by local charity Community Impact Bucks during an online award ceremony marking International Women’s Day.

Established to raise awareness of the many inspirational initiatives led by and involving women in the county, the Women in Charity Awards recognised outstanding work and effort in four categories: Outstanding Leadership, Trailblazer, Outstanding Volunteer and Young Charity Woman of the Year.

The winners and highly commended for the categories are:

Outstanding Leadership in the Charity Sector:

Winner – April Benson, Director of Services, Aylesbury Women’s Aid; Highly commended – Caroline Bennett, Director of Fundraising and Communications, Pace; Highly commended – Charlie Powell, CoFounder & General Manager, Lindengate Mental Health

Charity Trailblazer in the Charity Sector:

Winner – Hannah Asquith, Chief Executive, Youth Concern; Highly commended – Sheila Bees, Director, Grow Together; Highly commended – Rebecca Bennett, Volunteer Director, Open House Micklefield CIC & Hills Café

Outstanding Volunteer:

Winner – Shanthi Priyalatha-Wortmann, Director, Women’s Cultural Arena; Highly commended – Fiona Phimester, Volunteer Fundraiser, MacMillan Cancer Care; Highly commended – Sue Severn, Chairman, Watermead Parish Council

Young Charity Woman of the Year:

Winner – Georgia Grou, Health Delivery Officer, Wycombe Wanderers and Sports Education Trust; Highly commended – Charlotte Lawrence, Attain Project Manager, Transitions UK; Highly commended – Vaibhavi Shah, DreamSai Milton Keynes

The judging panel consisted of women who all have extensive experience of working with charities and communities in the county, and bring years of experience and insight to the judging process.