# Charity awards revealed by NICVA

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/10/02/charity-awards-revealed-nicva/
- Published: 2006-10-02T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

BJM, a firm of Chartered Accountants in Gordon Street, Belfast, has won the main
Link award 2006 for its work with SPEAC (Special Provision for the Education of 
Autistic Children). The Link Awards are organised by the Northern Ireland Council
for Voluntary Action to recognise support for the charity sector.

The Link awards were set up to recognise and promote good partnerships between 
charities and the business sector. Since then the charity Oscars have expanded to
take in statutory bodies, schools, colleges, clubs and societies.

Overall winner BJM has a special interest in autism because managing partner, Brendan
McGinn’s child has the condition. He paid for help for his own child but was inspired
to help others who could not afford it. Mr McGinn has been the main driver in raising
£160,000 to provide extra resources for a special centre run by the South Eastern
Education and Library Board at Tor Bank.

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The Large charity category was won by Banbridge-based Gordons Chemists for its financial
and practical support for Ulster Cancer Foundation’s Pink Link breast cancer awareness
campaign and its Care in the Sun promotion to highlight the danger of sunburn.

Bank of Ireland held a vote of all staff to decide its charity of the year and Childline
won by a huge majority. They agreed an ambitious target of raising £90,000 but broke
the barrier and went on to collect £110,000.

In return for a lot of rubbish, RFD Beaufort took the small charity award. The Dunmurray
company sorts and saves waste material every week and gives it to Play Resource 
which recycles it and passes it on to children’s projects and playgroups all over
Northern Ireland for play and education. Some of the waste has been turned into 
artwork which is presented back to the company.

Link has an award for innovation which went this year to Marks and Spencer, nominated
by Gingerbread. It has developed a special programme of training and work experience
in its stores for lone parents, helping them to take a step into employment.

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