Police and NSPCC partnership wins Link Award
Howard Lake | 17 October 2005 | News
The top Link Award has been presented to the Police Service of Northern Ireland for its fundraising achievements and support for NSPCC Northern Ireland. The Link Awards are organised by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action to recognise corporate support for the voluntary sector.
The PSNI’s support for the NSPCC took the overall Link Award at the annual charity Oscars from celebrity Patrick Mower, who plays Rodney in Emmerdale. Nearly 150 abused children in Northern Ireland will receive advice and support to rebuild their lives, thanks to a huge fundraising effort by the police who smashed their target of £100,000 to raise £201,000. PSNI ran events throughout the year, including high-profile marathon runs in London and Belfast by the chief constable, Sir Hugh Orde, as well as sponsored slims, a dragon boat race and other events involving officers of all ranks and their families.
Other winners in Link Award categories included:
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Large charity
Musgrave SuperValu-Centra NI collected this award, nominated by Action Cancer for its huge contribution of the Big Bus, costing £400,000.
Medium charity winner
Bank of Ireland won the medium charity category, after being proposed by Men Against Cancer. The bank helped fundraise for the first dedicated facility for men’s cancer in the UK or Ireland. The Department of Health has agreed to take on long-term responsibility for the unit at Belfast City Hospital, which deals mainly with testicular and prostrate cancer.
Small charity
Botanic Inns Ltd picked up the small charity award, on the nomination of NI Mother and Baby Action (NIMBA), the premature and vulnerable baby charity. Botanic’s ten outlets organised events including a chicken wing eating competition and bungee jumping.
Award for innovation
Fundraising is only one of the ways organisations can help charities. Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ltd, the ice-cream makers, was nominated by the Cresco Trust in Derry for providing mentored jobs and training for nine unemployed young people and for sharing their expertise to help give the Trust heightened credibility and increased professionalism.
Award for challenge
People who have acquired aphasia due to stroke or head injuries – of whom there are more than 10,000 in Northern Ireland – have benefited from fundraising by Vodafone. The company was nominated by Speechmatters, which faces special challenges because aphasia is a little-known and understood disability.
Award for clubs and societies
Comber Rotary Club was nominated by the NI Music Therapy Trust for its help in extending therapy services to schools, centres and individuals who could not otherwise afford them. Extra fundraising money has allowed NIMT to set up a bursary scheme to encourage music graduates to train as music therapists.
Award for schools and colleges
This new Link category was awarded to Dunluce School which has organised an annual cycle ride for pupils, past pupils and staff for many years, raising a total of £130,000 for the Ulster Cancer Foundation; in 2004 alone the school raised £6,500. The cycle ride also helps to raise awareness of cancer prevention among the pupils.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.