Outstanding Charity, sponsored by: Gower College Swansea
The Outstanding Charity Award is designed to recognise a charity formed by young people to help young people.
Based on her own experiences, Emma Lewis identified a need for children to be better supported when they leave the care system. So she founded the charity the Roots Foundation. Thanks to the DIY SOS Big Build programme, the charity has an amazing base in Swansea with apartments where young people are taught how to transition positively into independent living. The Roots Foundation, which is run by volunteers, also provides activities, training, workshops, support groups and coffee mornings.
Mark Jones, Principal of Gower College Swansea, said:
“Gower College Swansea is delighted to be sponsoring the inaugural Child of Wales Awards. We are committed to
providing young people with support, encouragement and opportunities for a brighter future and see many overcome personal challenges to achieve great things.
The Child of Wales Awards, an event that celebrates the inspirational achievements of children across Wales, has thanked its sponsors for their continued support, which has allowed it to make a substantial donation to charity now, despite its annual event being delayed due to the coronavirus.
The event, originally due to take place in the Celtic Manor on April 3, 2020, will now go ahead on April 9, 2021, after originally being rescheduled for the autumn. The event will also release a video celebrating the achievements of some of the children nominated for awards this autumn.
The Child of Wales will donate £5,000 to each of the charities it is raising money for in recognition of the challenging times they are enduring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Its charities are: Teenage Cancer Trust, Dreams & Wishes and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
The Child of Wales is backed by Bluestone National Park Resort, Trade Centre Wales and Bidfood. The category sponsors are: 1192 Laser & Beauty Clinic, Acuity Law, Andrew Rees & Sons Butchers, Barclays, Bibendum Wine, Castell Howell Foods, DWJ Group, DWJ Wealth Management, Gower College Swansea, Iceland Foods, Joe’s Ice Cream, MGY, Mitre Linen, Princes Gate, Principality Building Society, RedKite Solicitors, Sytner BMW and Thomas Recruitment Group.
A number of other companies are helping fund the support packages for the winners, funding their stay at the Celtic Manor and Bluestone. These are: Penguin Recruitment, AB Glass, Work Wales, Gallagher, Seren Global Media, Holder Mathias Architects, Blue Tiger Marketing, Bullock, Storm technologies and MyConcern.
The Child of Wales will also unveil a small number of new awards this autumn, designed to recognise the contribution of young people in Wales who have gone the extra mile for their friends, relatives and their local community in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.
Blanche Sainsbury, the founder of the event, said: “We would, once again, like to thank all of our sponsors, supporters and stakeholders for their continued support during these unprecedented times. It means a lot to us, the charities we are supporting and the children and young people whose lives and achievements we will celebrate. It gives us all hope and something to look forward to in the midst of uncertainty. But in the context of the pandemic and limitations on social gatherings, we have had to map the best way forward for the Child of Wales Awards.
“We have done this in the context of government guidelines and scientific advice and in the best interests of everyone involved in Child of Wales. But we are also still determined to create some magic and offer joy and happiness to individuals – the purpose of Child of Wales. When the event eventually does go ahead next year, we promise the long wait will be worth it – the evening will be amazing. We intend to finally deliver what we started and what so many people have worked so hard to make a very special event.
“Meanwhile, we are acutely aware of the challenges many charities have faced as a result of lockdown and restrictions on society. The delay of our event has limited our ability to fundraise but in light of the funding challenges many charities are facing, we will be presenting our charities with £5,000 each immediately. We hope this will help them through these difficult times. We again thank our sponsors for their continued support, which has made this possible.
“In addition to this, because we did not want to keep our amazing young people waiting that long before their achievements could be recognised, we also have a special surprise in store.
“We will be contacting all our young award winners over the next few months to tell them they have won and give them some very special surprises. We plan to then release a video of celebration, on the original date of the rescheduled awards on October 30.
“Finally, we will be adding a small number of new awards designed to celebrate the bravery and community spirit of Wales’ young people during the pandemic and through lockdown. If anyone is interested in working with us on these or sponsoring then, please get in touch.”
It’s so great for us to hear that our Outstanding Charity Sponsor, Gower College Swansea, has been demonstrating a hugely innovative and holistic approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ever since coronavirus struck South Wales, Gower College has brought its teams together and thought deeply about the resources it can offer. As a result, it has been making a difference to the lives of its employees and students, as well as reaching out to support vital keyworkers and the local communities they serve.
Gower College Swansea has worked across all departments to make essential supplies available for local charities, community groups, and hospitals. From donations of personal protective equipment, to unused food, the College has worked quickly and effectively to get supplies to people who need them. To help distribute its support, the college has built strong relationships with local hospitals in and around Swansea, and has worked with St Stephen’s Church in Port Tennant, and the LifePoint Church close to the city centre.
The college has also worked tenaciously to ensure that education programmes have remained available to all, during the crisis. Building on its expertise in delivering quality face-to-face and online learning experiences for students, Gower College Swansea has adapted teaching programmes to offer free training to help those on the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis. As well as continuing to support the progress of learners and apprentices already enrolled on its courses, the College has been working closely with the Swansea Bay University Health Board to help nurses and other frontline staff manage local needs.
Ruth Gates, Learning & Development Project Manager at Swansea Bay UHB, said:
“The quick response from a wide range of staff and tutors has enabled us to increase the delivery of manual handling programmes needed for new staff and upskilling existing staff to fulfil new roles; also, the College’s Health and Social Care staff are working closely with our Nurse Education Team to help facilitate the large numbers of clinical induction training programmes needed and are actively involved in the roll out of the new digital Patient Care Assistant Induction in partnership with Health Education Improvement Wales.”
As well as coordinating quick responses to immediate local needs, the College has continued in its commitment to building local capacity for the longer-term. Working with a range of local partners, the College leads on the Better Jobs, Better Futures programme, supporting people to find and secure employment.
Despite the testing economic circumstances, Gower College Swansea continues to successfully match people with jobs, some of which are directly involved in local responses to the pandemic. Ruth Gates described how the partnership between the College and the Swansea Bay University Health Board helps: “with the recruitment of new staff into different roles needed to respond to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“Many of their clients have been referred and been successful in gaining temporary posts with us” she added.
As a member of BITC, Gower College Swansea has demonstrated its responsible business credentials not only in its support for local people and communities, but also in the way it supports its employees encouraging them to look after their wellbeing
During the lockdown, the College has brought staff together (virtually, and adhering to social distancing) to clap for carers and key workers, and reflect on the inspiring efforts of people who are saving lives in the local area. The College is also committed to supporting staff who wish to volunteer.
It has also helped employees adjust to the challenges of remote working. Gower College Swansea’s HR & Wellbeing Team has developed a suite of support including webinars, telephone counselling, a range of fitness activities including live online yoga and HIT sessions and a weekly fun quiz –all of which are provided free of charge. These have been hugely popular, as employees across the organisation have been keenly improving their physical, mental, and emotional flexibility and resilience.
We are thrilled to announce that Gower College Swansea is sponsoring the Outstanding Charity Award at the inaugural National Children of Wales Awards.
Gower College Swansea offers almost 40 A-level subjects and 40 vocational subject choices, providing a suitable course for everyone. In 2019, its A-level results significantly outperformed the Welsh national average by 8% at A*-A grades.
The College recognises that many adult learners lead very busy lives, so it offers part-time and flexible courses. It also offers apprenticeships, including: Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship, Level 3 Apprenticeship, and a Level 4/5 Higher Apprenticeship.
The College has campuses in Gorseinon, Tycoch, and Llwyn y Bryn, as well as a Broadway Centre and the Kingsway Centre, which offers employability programmes.
Of its involvement with the National Children of Wales Awards, Principal Mark Jones said:
“Gower College Swansea is delighted to be sponsoring the inaugural National Children of Wales Awards. We are committed to providing young people with support, encouragement and opportunities for a brighter future and see many overcome personal challenges to achieve great things.
“We are, therefore, keen to play a part in an awards ceremony where these children, and many other inspirational individuals and organisations, are recognised and celebrated.
“We are very much looking forward to the National Children of Wales Awards in April and wish all nominees the very best of luck.”
A bespoke design by acclaimed international fashion designer Jayne Pierson, the use of a super yacht for three days and a box at the Royal Albert Hall are just some of the prizes that will be available at the National Children of Wales Awards thanks to the generosity of the business community.
The National Children of Wales Awards will take place at the Celtic Manor on April 3, 2020. The organisers aim to raise £100,000 at the event, which will be distributed to four charities in Wales that help children: The Teenage Cancer Trust, Dreams & Wishes, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the Bluestone Foundation.
The event has already attracted remarkable support from the business community with all award categories now sponsored for the evening – though opportunities remain for businesses to get involved by supporting other aspects of the event.
The event’s two main sponsors are The Trade Centre Wales, one of the largest and fastest growing used car companies in the UK, and Bidfood, one of the largest food wholesalers in the UK.
The category sponsors are: 1192 Laser & Beauty Clinic, Andrew Rees & Sons Butchers, Barclays, Bibendum Wine, DWJ Group, DWJ Wealth Management, Gower College Swansea, Iceland Foods, Joe’s Ice Cream, MGY, Mitre Linen, Princes Gate, Principality Building Society, RedKite Solicitors, Sytner BMW and Thomas Recruitment Group.
But the event hopes to add even more extraordinary auction prizes to the roster – giving it every chance of exceeding its £100,000 target for the evening.
Blanche Sainsbury, chair of the Bluestone National Park Resort and founder of the National Children of Wales Awards, said:
“Companies from across Wales have demonstarted remarkable generosity in their support for the inaugural National Children of Wales Awards through both backing the event as sponsors and by offering some extraordinary auction prizes. We have been blown away by the support for this event so far and we are delighted to still be speaking to a number of businesses and individuals about additional prices and sponsorship opportunities.”
Some 15 children will be recognised at the awards. The categories focus on diversity, bravery, sporting achievements, and will recognise children who help others through championing causes, caring and fundraising.
The prestigious event will feature male voice choir Only Men Aloud, the winners of BBC talent show Last Choir Standing; Angelicus Celtis, a choir of Welsh schoolgirls who reached the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2017; and the event will also feature performances from Motionhouse, a world-class dance-circus production company.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the awards, buying a table or donating an auction prize, please contact Mark Hillary at: mhillary@bluestonewales.com
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