A total of 27 inspiring projects have been shortlisted for The Charity Awards 2021.
The Charity Awards is the charity world’s longest-running awards ceremony. This year’s charities have been judged by an independent panel of charity leaders as having demonstrated outstanding best practice in leadership and management.
The ten category winners, plus the recipients of the Overall Award for Excellence and the Daniel Phelan Award for Outstanding Achievement, will be announced at a live-streamed online awards ceremony on 10 June.
Uniquely for 2021, there will also be a winner in a special new category, the Rathbones Covid-19 Response Award. This is to celebrate the charity sector’s fantastic contribution in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
The shortlisted charities are: Jerwood Arts, LOOSE, New Writing North, Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, CARE International UK, Safe Passage, Aberlour Child Care Trust, Friends Families and Travellers, Lifelites, The Children’s Trust, NOW Group, Breaking Barriers, Samaritans, Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust, CPRE, the countryside charity, Trees for Cities, The Bulldog Trust, Five Talents UK, The Lewis Foundation, Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust, SeeAbility, Conciliation Resources, Excellent Development, Theatre for a Change, The Bike Project, SafeLives, and Suffolk Family Carers.
More Detail about each shortlisted charity's entry is available on the Charity Awards website.
Matthew Nolan, chief executive of Civil Society Media, which organises the Charity Awards, said: “In the spring of last year, we took the very difficult decision to put the 2020 Charity Awards on ice until we had clearer visibility on how the pandemic would play out.
“Throughout the year we watched with dismay as the charity sector was buffeted by a triple-whammy of losing millions of pounds of fundraising income, being forced to re-engineer services to comply with lockdown and social distancing restrictions, and facing big spikes in demand for those services.
“But 12 months on, we are so impressed with how the sector has risen to the challenges and responded magnificently to the health, social care and economic crisis that Covid-19 has wrought. There is no better time to celebrate charities and their incredible work, so we have decided to resurrect the 2020 awards and honour the applications that were submitted. The nominees on this year’s shortlist are large and small charities who are truly leaders in their field.
“We have also launched a special new category this year, to celebrate the sector’s fantastic achievements in responding to the pandemic. We have been blown away by the resilience, ingenuity and commitment that shines through in these entries – they are a vivid snapshot of the huge value that charities bring to this country.”
Andy Pitt, head of charities – London at Rathbones, overall partner of the Charity Awards, said: “The Charity Awards celebrate leadership, good governance, innovation and excellence. As investment managers we do everything we can to support the work that the sector does and promoting best practice is an important part of our relationship with charities.”
“The past year has brought huge challenges for the charity sector, but it has also highlighted the importance of its contribution, without which people around the world would be significantly weakened. We are delighted to support these awards and to honour the brilliant work of UK charities large and small.”
The event will be hosted by political commentator, writer and comedian Ayesha Hazarika, who will be joined at the ceremony by a host of celebrities. All the shortlisted charities will be invited to watch and be part of the live event.
Anyone can register to watch the ceremony, which takes place at 4pm on Thursday 10 June.
