Community champions shortlisted

Charity of the Year – sponsored by State Street

Guernsey Employment Trust

Increased services being delivered to more disabled and disadvantaged people and an improved collaboration with the business community and local employers, is testament to the success of the Guernsey Employment Trust (Get), which now offers disabled people in Guernsey and employers a high-level, professional service.

Citizens Advice Guernsey

Citizens Advice Guernsey has offered a free, friendly and confidential service to the Bailiwick for the last 40 years. Thirty professionally trained voluntary advisors now deal with more than 10,000 enquiries on any subject each year, with housing, family, money, legal, consumer and employment issues being the most common. It values diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination.

Les Cotils

David and Jane Swiffen bought Les Cotils in 1996 and transferred the ownership of the house and grounds into a charitable trust. Their purpose in buying the property was to ensure it was used for the benefit of the Guernsey community. Although set up as a Christian centre, Les Cotils operates on an ecumenical basis and welcomes everyone regardless of beliefs. In the last few years, Les Cotils has also worked with the prison to support a number of people whose parole is due, providing employment which supports their rehabilitation.

Corporate Social Responsibility Award – sponsored by RBC Wealth Management

State Street Guernsey

Through State Street’s volunteering and employee engagement programmes, and the charitable grant-making arm, the State Street Foundation, it has supported the communities in which it operates for more than 40 years. Its Guernsey office has been actively supporting local charitable organisations and grass roots projects since its launch in 2000.

Northern Trust

Volunteering programme Northern Trust Community Partners is now in its sixth year of working hard to forge relationships with local charities and community groups to provide one-day volunteering opportunities. Employees are invited to take two paid days out of the office each year for team or personal volunteering projects. In 2016, 146 volunteers gave 970 hours of their time to the community in 18 environmental stewardship and animal welfare projects and educational initiatives.

The Channel Islands Co-operative Society

The society set about creating a vision in 2016 that reflected its core purpose of making a difference in its community. While a major chunk of commitments involved financial support, it was also aware that true community engagement is about being involved. The new framework has three key strands: championing key community topics; creating links; and the Co-Op Way – encouraging principles of co-operation.

Fundraising Team of the Year – sponsored by Cazenove Capital

Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Charitable Trust

The trust was formed by military historian Chris Oliver and Lt-Col Colin Vaudin to mark the local regiment’s heroic role in the Great War at Les Rues Vertes, 100 years after the Battle of Cambrai. In conjunction with the Guernsey Press, the Guernsey’s Finest Hour campaign helped to raise £30,000 for memorials locally and in France to the 327 Guernseymen killed and 667 wounded or missing. There will now be dedicated tributes at home and abroad, plus a legacy for future generations to remember the contribution of these men.

Warren Mauger and Philip Smith

Hundreds of islanders were inspired to take part in My Epic Week this summer, raising more than £27,000 for This Is Epic and Guernsey Mind. More than 160 individuals and teams entered to take on their own challenge during the week, inspired by the pair’s enthusiasm, dedication and sheer determination. Whole schools signed up having heard Warren and Philip talk, and individuals of all ages and sporting abilities committed to play their part. Over 1,000 schoolchildren took part in various activities, including cycling, swimming, running and triathlon.

St Peter Port Christmas Lights

Town's Christmas lights will twinkle again this year thanks to its new fundraising team, who have re-organised the way the charity is run and communicates with the public. In less than 12 months, they have raised enough to cover all the costs of the lights for two years when previously the charity struggled to raise funding to cover one year’s costs. The total raised from September 2016 to September 2017 was £70,000.

Outstanding Individual Achievement – sponsored by PwC Channel Islands Bill Gardiner

Bill was diagnosed with Age-Related Macular Degeneration in January 2014, requiring monthly injections at Southampton Hospital. He and fellow patient Tilly Fisken decided to set up a self-help group, and so the Guernsey Macular Society came into being. Bill’s philosophy in life has always been: ‘Focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t.’ This optimism and self-belief has encouraged and reassured many other local sufferers.

Sandra Robilliard

Sandra was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at the age of 52. She contacted Autism Guernsey for help and the charity not only helped her through the challenges of the condition but Sandra is now a highly respected and key member of its team. Although she struggles with many issues, including sensory difficulties, Sandra volunteers tirelessly and diligently and has helped create and deliver many innovative achievements.

The Rev. Richard Bellinger

Richard began his compassionate work on the island 10 years ago with the introduction of the Caritas organic market garden and the founding of the Caritas Community LBG. The beneficiaries of both were predominantly ex-offenders, the unemployed, and people with special needs. This then led to a stall at the farmers’ market in St Martin’s, the teaching of cooking and growing skills to prisoners by him and his team. His efforts continue to have a positive impact on some of the island’s most vulnerable people.

Jurat Stephen Jones

Jurat Stephen Jones has made an outstanding contribution to the island community and its charities for more than 30 years. This includes sitting on the board of directors of the Chest and Heart LBG for 14 years, 20 years service to Guernsey Cheshire Homes, acting as a trustee of the Lloyds Bank Foundation of the Channel Islands from 2009 and as chair from 2011-2015, playing a pivotal role in Help a Guernsey Child for more than 10 years and also accepting the role of director of Guernsey Employment Trust in 2015. His contributions demonstrate the impact, wide range and long-term commitment of his charitable work.

Innovation Award – sponsored by Specsavers

Headway Guernsey

Headway has been nominated for being the driving force behind an innovative partnership with the Committee for Health & Social Care and the charity Pink Ladies. Over the course of almost three years it has lobbied deputies, HSC managers and the neurological team, to bring all sides together to support the need for an extra resource to develop services for islanders living with and recovering from serious brain injury. In addition it has secured support and funding for an assistant psychologist by implementing a new model of partnership working with the wider charitable sector and States.

ECOF Bright Beginnings

Every Child Our Future established the Bright Beginnings Children’s Centre in the former St Sampson’s Infant School, which opened in April. The centre works with pre-school children and parents and is the only charitable organisation in Guernsey working under the umbrella of the 1001 Critical Days Agenda, a vision and cross-party manifesto for the provision of services from conception to age two. The centre includes a targeted support for families with additional needs and offers a variety of activities, all achieved within a short period of time since its opening.

St Andrew’s Floral Group: Metamorphosis – Changing the landscape at the GSPCA

In 2015, the St Andrew’s Floral Group launched Going Wild at the GSPCA, to adapt the animal shelter grounds to attract wildlife and provide a more therapeutic environment for animals. It grew into the Metamorphosis project, widening its original aims to help establish the GSPCA as a visitor attraction and educational centre. There are now two interconnecting ponds with a bog garden all fed by springs and run-off from the buildings. Thousands of trees, shrubs and plants have drastically changed the landscape. Funding and donations of materials and pro bono labour is estimated to be worth £40,000.

Organising Committee of the Year – sponsored by RG Falla

Guernsey Parkrun Organising Committee

Guernsey Parkrun has quickly become a regular part of many islanders’ Saturday mornings, thanks to its organising committee which formed two years ago. To bring the free global fitness initiative to fruition, research involved considerable hard work and commitment but with a sense of fun and purpose. Seventy-seven events have taken place, attracting on average 100 people. The youngest participant is four years old and the oldest in their 80s, with the aim of the 5km timed run, jog or walk to be open to everyone regardless of ability, with participants tracking their own progress via barcodes.

Guernsey Literary Festival

The May 2017 Guernsey Literary Festival was a cultural highlight featuring talks and workshops by writers and performers from the UK, France and the USA, as well as the Channel Islands. The registered charity and steering group behind the inclusive community festival comprises a group of volunteers who provided 18 educational events, 17 of which were in schools and organised by the steering group with the assistance of the Schools’ Library Service. To enable all these events to take place the steering group reached out and gained support from a record number of 13 festival sponsors and 35 partner organisations. Fifty volunteers were involved this year.

Saffery Rotary Walk

The Saffery Rotary Walk is now more than 20 years old and one of the most prominent and iconic charitable events in the Guernsey calendar. Around 7,000 people have participated and more than £600,000 has been raised for local charities. This has been a record-breaking year, with £85,430 raised, 28 charities benefitting, more than 900 walkers taking on the 39-mile challenge and the widest possible inclusion of walkers. This year saw a new partnership with the Guernsey Disability Alliance which provided a customised check-in. Other innovations to advance inclusivity and increase community engagement were Race Nation walker scanning, relay teams and taking part in memory of a former walker.

Youth Award – sponsored by Guernsey Electricity Katie Sheppard

Katie, 19, has been working with Caritas Community LBG for five years, especially praise-worthy since she has had to contend with quite significant adversity. Katie’s first involvement with Caritas was to help sell vegetables at the Farmers’ Market as part of her ASDAN Award Scheme. She continued to work regularly for the charity and became a trustworthy, conscientious and reliable member of the team. She has contributed in many ways and also volunteers with children’s groups at Holy Trinity Church and at St Mary & St Michael Catholic Primary School, all showing a long-term contribution and commitment.

Sarah Kirby

Sarah is an exceptional volunteer at the GSPCA, where she has worked for four years giving thousands of hours of help. While still at school, she dedicated many hours at the shelter after school, at weekends and in her holidays to help care for the animals. This summer during her break from university she was a summer member of staff and 'shone like a star', often working extra hours as a volunteer and supporting the charity with numerous events.

Macie Ceillam

Macie, who has overcome great adversity, has just finished school, performed well beyond her own expectations and that of others with her GCSE results and has been offered a place at the Grammar School Sixth Form Centre. Macie also began attending The Space youth centre around a year ago and has matured into one of the most reliable and kind-hearted young people there. She is often seen as a champion for younger members of the club. She has also helped create a website for the Crime Prevention Panel and has started working at a cafe in a residential home.

More details about all the nominees and the Guernsey Community Foundation Community Awards themselves are available on its website at www.foundation.gg. You can also follow teh foundation on Twitter at @GuernseyCF.