The 2008 Charity Times Awards has been announced after a gala event at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London. Congratulations to all the winners.

Best Charity to work for:

Youthnet

Charity of the Year:

Tyneside Cyrenians

Judges comments: "A great achievement from a group leading the way in homelessness, working with a clear vision and a wider civil society outlook, while at the same time working on a very tight budget."

Best New Charity:

Prison Radio Association

Judges comments: "The winner showed an inspirational approach, an excellent track record on limited resources and a vision to take the project to a wider audience."

Charity Principal of the Year:

Mark Cann, British Forces Foundation

Judges comments: "Mark Cann has shown great leadership in presenting effectively to the public the message of being proud of the work of our troops in the face of an unpopular war in Iraq."

Outstanding Individual Achievement:

Georgie Fienberg, AfriKids

Judges comments: "Georgie has been at the forefront of first launching, then building, Afrikids into the respected international charity it is today; she is highly respected throughout the international development world for her international work dating back well over a decade."

Finance Team of the Year:

Inspire

Judges comments: "The winning finance team showed how working on a detailed property investment strategy turned around the charity’s financial position."

Fundraising Team of the Year:

Ryde Inshore Rescue

Judges comments: "Working on limited resources the winning fundraising team showed a real passion for their cause and a real commitment to the community they serve."

Campaigning Team of the Year:

Live Life Then Give Life

Judge comments: "An outstanding campaign made up of many effective and innovative strands and approaches, achieving great success for the saving of lives through organ donation."

Highly Commended: Fatherhood Institute

Judge comments: "The Fatherhood Institute revealed a very intelligent and thought-provoking campaigning approach to the issue of fatherhood and the family, without having to resort to cheap stunts."

Trustee Board of the Year:

CHICKS

Judges comments: "The winning Trustee Board showed real commitment and professionalism in its practices with evidence of real positive results."

Best Use of Technology:

Inclusion Trust

Judges commnets: "The winner has used new technology to devise a cost-effective way to reach NEETS (Not in Education, Employment & Training) that reduces by 50% the projected costs of reaching them via more traditional means. It also achieved 98% re-engagement among the NEETS it has worked with and if scalable, the project will make a significant contribution to a serious and costly problem."

Best Use of the Web:

Mencap

Judges comments: "The winning website is head and shoulders above the other sites in the competition. It has cleverly and effectively made optimum use of video technology to tell its story in a most compelling way. The video on the homepage puts people with learning disabilities at the heart of the story and demonstrates the enormous power of technology to capture and communicate the essence of a charity’s mission."

Highly Commended: Arthritis Care

Judges comments: "The judges were very impressed by Arthritis Care’s thoughtful and innovative use of technology to enable people affected by arthritis to tell their own story. Charity sector websites should aim to put people at the heart of their communications and Arthritis Care has done this to great effect."

Corporate Partnership of the Year:

Battersea Arts Centre/Provident Financial

Judges comments: "A very focused partnership campaign that showed real commitment from both, and in return saw real results, especially in regards to linking the winner with a number of London schools."

Corporate Community Involvement:

Get Connected/eatsleepthink

Judges comments: "An interesting and unique corporate partnership with the design company using an innovative approach to its work and rebranding the charity, leading to a new website and the promotion of the helpline for young people in schools."

Banking Services:

Triodos Bank

Judges comments: "The winner showed an on-going commitment to the charity sector as well as a wider awareness and passion for social and environmental concerns."

Investment Management:

Rathbone Investment Management/Community Foundation for Merseyside

Judges comments: "The Boost Initiative showed a highly innovative approach, a long-term commitment from the partnership organisation and regular assistance with financial support, resulting in clear success of the partnership."

ICT Services:

Charity Technology Trust

Judges comments: "The winner has been able to demonstrate that social enterprise can deliver real results through it’s effective IT distribution programme. Through its Charity Technology Exchange (CTX) programme, the winner has enabled many charities to leverage the power of technology to generate donations and to distribute campaign messages to startling effect."

Accountancy Services:

HW Fisher & Company

Judges comments: "The winner provided evidence of a real commitment to local and regional issues while still using the expertise from its international work."

Insurance Services:

Equity Insurance

Judges comments: "A new set of travel insurance products for those with cancer showed real innovation and the charity partnership work showed a commitment to work with charities in this area."

To book a table for next year's awards, which will also take place at the Royal Lancatser Hotel, London, please contact: Martin Davies
Tel: 020 7562 2407 or email: martin.davies@charitytimes.com

For sponsorship opportunities at the most prestigious award ceremony on the charity calendar, please contact:

Cerys McLean
Tel: 07766662610
email: cerys.mclean@charitytimes.com

or

Richard Dove
Tel: 0207 562 2423
email: richard.dove@charitytimes.com