Winners announced in 2019 Local Business Charity Awards

The winners have been named in the 2019 Local Business Charity Awards.

The finals, held at the Tithe Barn in Bishops Cleeve, were attended by over 80 people, representing   businesses and charities from across Gloucestershire. The Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire Mr Edward Gillespie was in attendance as a judge of the awards.

The awards recognise and thank Gloucestershire businesses that support their local charities. There were two awards to enter, the Jelf Award, open to nominations from charities with an annual income of over £200,000 a year and the Ageas award, for charities with an annual income of under £200,000 a year. The charities that nominated the winners in these two awards will each receive a £1,000 donation.

Charities were also invited to nominate an individual person, who works in a Gloucestershire company, in the Individual award. To recognise their personal contribution to supporting that charity, the winner will receive a weekend away worth £300.

The Jelf Award

Finalists in the Jelf Award were:

·         Cheltenham Borough Council nominated by LINC

·         Coventry Building Society nominated by National Star

·         Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service nominated by Cheltenham & Gloucester Hospitals Charity

·         Hooray Recruitment nominated by Cheltenham Animal Shelter

The Winner of the Jelf Award was:

·         The Coventry Building Society Nominated by National Star

The Ageas Award

The finalists in the Ageas Award were:

·         Creed Foodservice nominated by Wiggly Worm

·         Disability Care & Mobility nominated by Goals Beyond Grass

·         Kingscott Dix Cheltenham nominated by Together in Matson

·         Z’s Salon nominated by Heart Heroes

The winner of the Ageas award was:

·         Disability Care & Mobility, nominated by Goals Beyond Grass

The Individual Award

The finalists in the Individual Award are:

·         Jason Mather from 101 Battalion REME, Army Reserve Centre nominated by Gloucester Rugby Community Charity

·         Kevin Mannion from Gloucester Rugby Club, nominated by Gloucester City Mission

·         Ross Nicholl from Generation Events (Glos), nominated by Heart Heroes

·         Jerry Marsden from MBE Installations, nominated by Sunflowers Suicide Support

The winner of the Individual Award is:

·         Kevin Mannion from Gloucester Rugby Club, nominated by Gloucester City Mission

Cathy Taylor, Head of Commercial Underwriting and Operations at Ageas Insurance said: ‘As a judge I was privileged to read all the nominations from these truly altruistic Gloucestershire organisations. Choosing one winner in each category was a really tough job; every year it comes down to just a point or two and all who entered should be proud of being recognised as one of the best in the county. As a sponsor of these awards Ageas is delighted to shine a light on the great work being done in Gloucestershire and we send all finalists and winners our hearty congratulations.’

Mike Owen, Managing Director – South, Jelf, said: ‘Jelf have been sponsoring these awards, up and down the UK since 2014 and year on year we hear stories that make us stop in our tracks, bowled over as we are by the lengths companies and individuals go to, to support those less fortunate than themselves. This year in Gloucestershire it was no different. From Disability Care and Mobility’s incredible generosity in helping Goals Beyond Grass with free services following the inexplicable vandalism of their electric wheel chairs, to the Coventry Building Society who brought untold amounts of enthusiasm and support to National Star and finally to Kevin Mannion from Gloucester Rugby Club who is the powerhouse behind the Academy’s support of homeless charity the Gloucester City Mission. These companies and people are truly the best of the best in Gloucestershire and we are honoured to be able to recognise their generosity through these awards tonight.’