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Orange RockCorps, an innovative programme connecting people who want to make a difference to their community with dynamic charities in their area, is the latest winner of Prime Minister’s Big Society Award.

The Orange RockCorps programme inspires people to volunteer within their community by producing concerts for which you can’t buy a ticket. By giving 4 hours of their time to work on a volunteer project, participants can earn a ticket to an exclusive gig. So far over 36,000 people have earned themselves a ticket to an Orange RockCorps event. 

Many top artists have performed to reward volunteers after giving 4 hours of their own time to support a project, from P Diddy painting an adventure playground in Islington to Professor Green clearing rubbish at the Thames 21 project.   This year’s event was the largest all-volunteer concert at Wembley Arena.

The Prime Minister said:

“In just a few years Orange RockCorps has touched hundreds of thousands of lives, made a difference to communities all over the country and shown people that doing good can feel pretty good too.

“I talk a lot about the Big Society and this is what it means. People stepping forward, and understanding that society isn’t a spectator sport but something we build as a team.

“Congratulations to RockCorps and all the volunteers who have got involved.”

 Welcoming the award, Stephen Greene, CEO and Co-Founder of RockCorps commented:

“Now, more than ever, community involvement for all citizens is vital for this country and we are very happy to be playing a small part. Orange RockCorps is very proud to be recognised with a Big Society Award from the Prime Minister.

“We have an engagement model that works, allowing enthused volunteers to carve their own paths. In 2011 alone, Orange RockCorps volunteers have racked up over 50,000 hours of volunteering.  We are proud to partner with so many great charities and organisations in this country and they share this award along with us!”

 Spencer McHugh, Brand Director at Orange commented:

“Since launching Orange RockCorps in 2008 we’ve gained an unparalleled reputation for encouraging people to get involved in volunteering and so far over 300 charities in Britain have benefited from our help. Our innovative approach has inspired more than 90,000 people to give up their time to help their local community and we’re delighted that our efforts have been recognised by Number 10.”

Notes to Editors

Orange RockCorps

Orange RockCorps launched in the UK in 2008 and recently hosted the largest all-volunteer concert at Wembley Arena. The concert took place on July 12 with 11,000 volunteers who had each given 4 hours of their time to a local project. Artists who performed at the show were Diddy Dirty Money, Primal Scream, Kelis, Professor Green, Wretch 32 and Eliza Doolittle. In previous years performers have included Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg and Mark Ronson.

Research for Orange RockCorps has shown that over 96% of the participants would volunteer with Orange RockCorps again, and 57% would volunteer in their local community without the incentive of a ticket.

Information on You Decide initiative and the Collective:

Orange RockCorps continue to engage volunteers year round with the You Decide initiative and the Collective. Every month Orange RockCorps are offering twelve charities the chance to face the public You Decide vote and win rewards. The initiative broadens the reach of Orange RockCorps to people who want to help but often don’t have the time. With You Decide the public can vote for the causes and charities that they’d like to see benefit from Orange RockCorps rewards. The winning charity will win a mobile office for the person in charge of volunteering so they can reach out to their community  The package will include a laptop.

Members of the community are invited to give 4 hours (minimum) of their time to volunteer work and submit their story to the Orange RockCorps Collective via http://www.orangerockcorps.co.uk/ opens in new window. The Collective celebrates volunteering activity across the country throughout the year and rewards members with music related prizes.

About Orange UK

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With almost 131 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.
In the UK, Orange provides high quality GiM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%. Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited.

On July 1 2010, the company became part of Everything Everywhere, one company that runs two of Britain’s most famous brands – Orange UK and T-Mobile UK.

For more information please call the Orange press office on 0870 373 1500, or visit www.orange.co.uk/newsroom opens in new window

The award focuses upon three specific areas:

• Promoting social action – people being, and being encouraged to be, be more involved in their communities through giving time, money and other resources.
• Empowering communities – local people taking control of how things are done in their area and being helped to do this by local government and others.
• Opening up public services – public sector organisations and individuals demonstrating innovative ways of delivering public services and charities, social enterprises and private companies showing new ways of delivering public services.

For more information, visit the Big Society Awards pages.