WIREDGOV

Small Charity Week, which ran this year from 16 to 21 June, is the latest winner of a Big Society Award, David Cameron has announced. 

The award was presented to organisers by Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd.

The week of events and activities celebrating charities with a turnover of less than £1.5 million is run by The Foundation for Social Improvement which was first established in 2010 and shines a spotlight on invaluable work taking place across the UK.

Small charities including the Doorstep Library Network, RECLAIM andLeukaemia Care took part in the activities which included accessing free 1:1 advice on Big Advice Day to being matched with a group of volunteers from a company on Volunteering Day.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, Civil Society Minister Nick Hurd presented the Big Society Award to the Foundation for Social Improvement during a reception for small charities to meet with MPs to show the innovative work they are doing. He met with staff members and small charities from a range of organisations including the Brittle Bone Society and Resources for Autism.

Prime Minister David Cameron said:

There is a wealth of small charities doing incredible work across the UK. This week is a fantastic opportunity to shine a well-deserved spotlight on these organisations and to provide advice and support to help them thrive.

I’m delighted to recognise Small Charities Week with this Big Society Award.

Pauline Broomhead, CEO of the Foundation for Social Improvement, said:

We are honoured that Small Charity Week has been recognised with a Big Society Award. I meet with inspirational small charities on a daily basis that have been established through a pure passion and commitment to change a situation and make a difference where they saw a need that wasn’t being met. Whoever they help, whatever their cause, they are the glue that holds our society together and our world is a better place with their existence.

Despite the issues small charities face they are achieving amazing results across the UK and the rest of the world by being very creative with the limited resources they have to ensure their impact goes as far as possible. It is for this reason that we first established Small Charity Week in 2010 to provide an opportunity to raise the profile of the small charity sector and provide free opportunities throughout the week for small charities to build their knowledge, raise funds and engage with the public and policy makers.

The event originally began as a day’s activity to celebrate small charities but the initiative rapidly grew, even before it launched, into a week of events to support small charities in a range of ways. This wouldn’t have been possible without the partners and supporters we have engaging with Small Charity Week and we hope to continue making an impact for small charities for the future.