| Corporate
Community Involvement |
|
Sponsored
by
|
|
 Siobhan
Hewitt-Devine of Prudential and Richard Williams of BTCV
receive their award from Jeremy Smith of the Media Trust
and the awards' host Dominic Holland |
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| WINNER:
Prudential/BTCV |
| PruPIM
(Prudential Property Investment Managers) reviewed its
corporate responsibility strategy in 2001, and recognised
the need for an environmental programme to help support
its environmental and community objectives. By partnering
BTCV, the organisation feels that it has maximised the
opportunities for practical action under the Grass Roots
programme, improving both the rural and urban environments.
Launched in 2001, the programme has identified and managed
14 projects across the UK and USA, with core funding from
Prudential, and BTCV helping to attract volunteers. Projects
are specific to the local community, but have included
creating nature trails, access to historic sites and providing
amenities. |
| |
| HIGHLY
COMMENDED: Centrica/ShareGift |
| ShareGift
collects small holdings of shares until a suitable quantity
is reached, at which point the share can be sold and the
proceeds used to create funds that can then be distributed
to charities. When Centrica sold the AA it led to a restructuring,
allowing ShareGift to consolidate unwanted ‘fractional’
shares and to request that shareholders donate proceeds
of the sale. In all, somewhere around £1million
was created for ShareGift, a considerable outcome for
a charity of only 4 people. |
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| SHORTLIST:
British Gas/National Energy Action |
| REECH
(Realising Energy Efficient Communities and Homes) is
a partnership that aims to tackle the specific problems
faced by black and minority ethnic households in fuel
poverty. Started in 2002, the project has already helped
an estimated 55,000 households and represents a very practical
demonstration of a successful corporate/voluntary sector
partnership. |
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| SHORTLIST:
British Gas/Help the Aged |
| With
an estimated 20,000 to 50,000 older people dying unnecessarily
from the cold in the UK, the partnership between British
Gas and Help the Aged has developed over six years, with
over £6 million invested on the development and
implementation responses to help improve the lives of
1.7 million older people. |
| |
| SHORTLIST:
PricewaterhouseCoopers/Volunteer
Reading Help |
| PwC
has committed itself to making donations to the Volunteer
Reading Help project for the next three years, with part
of this funding being used to train its own employees
to read with disadvantaged children in primary schools
local to its offices. With a target of 100 VRH trained
volunteers in the first year, and 300 by 2007, this is
both an ambitious and complex project. However, the first
year’s target has already been met, and the two
organisations have ascribed mutual respect and good communication
as central elements of this success. |
| |
| Royal
Bank of Scotland/Greenworks |
This
partnership centres on the redistribution and recycling
of excess office furniture for the benefit of the community.
RBS held thousands of surplus items in storage, doing
nothing and costing the company a considerable fee. RBS
set up a project team with
Greenworks, and helped the charity create a new facility
in the Midlands which could process furniture from two
of the company’s disposal projects. The new depot
has the capacity to processes 7.5 tonnes per day, and
has created employment for 14 people, as well as helping
refurbish a Grade II listed building. It aims to provide
500 schools, community groups and charities with redundant
furniture, while nationally 1,455.75 tonnes of RBS furniture
have been recycled, helping 333 organisations. |
