Community groups and charities across the city are being invited to nominate themselves for a chunk of £20,000 cash - with the return of the Airbus Community Awards.
The awards, run in association with the Bristol Live and Airbus, are back for 2021, with community groups and charities being urged to nominate themselves for a chance to win.
It's been a truly difficult year for all and many local groups have really suffered and struggled to keep afloat. Airbus now wants to give something back and help them pave a more positive future for both themselves and the people they serve.
We are asking for our readers to nominate local charities or groups that they feel are deserving of the award, which will be accompanied by a share of the money to fund a future project. You can make your nominations using the form below.
As well as local people nominating groups, local community groups and charities can also nominate themselves.
But projects must be focused on the areas of education, youth, environment and inclusivity. All groups which meet the entry criteria will make it through to the public voting stage.
Bristol Live editor, Emma Slee, said: “This year we are giving more charities and groups the chance to win a share of the money. We want every deserving group to have a chance to get involved and win the cash so that they can build a positive future. We want to see lots of groups across Bristol get involved. Best of luck!”
Airbus' Community Engagement Manager Hannah Hammond, added: "We are delighted to launch the 2021 Airbus Community Awards. The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating effect on charities and community groups, so this is a great opportunity for us to support them with a potential share of a £20,000 prize fund.
"It is always humbling when we hear about the commitment, hard work and dedication from previous winners and Airbus is proud, through these awards, to give something back to those groups supporting our local community."
What will they win?
The ten winning groups will each receive prizes, ranging from £1,000 to £7,000.
· 1st Prize £7,000
· 2nd Prize £4,000
· 3rd Prize £2,000
· 7 runners up receive £1,000 each
Last year the awards helped a number of groups across the Bristol area including Mama's Swaps & Freebies Bristol.
The group walked away with the top prize of £7,000 after securing the largest number of votes.
A spokesperson for the group said: "By winning the £7,000 we were able to establish ourselves at HQ. We saw it as possible and we saw it very much in the future but we didn’t have a venue, we didn’t have the funds behind us, it wasn’t quite there for us yet and that award made it possible for us.
"We reached out to Patchway Town Council and agreed we would occupy the Casson Centre for two days a week.
"We needed to purchase pretty much everything that we needed and it all needed to be flat packed. We bought everything that’s in HQ. We bought stackable chairs, drop-leaf tables, folding mats, a soft-play ball-pit, a playpen, sensory toys, all the changing facilities.
"We have a food aid cupboard which we keep regularly stocked. On a Wednesday we run a stay and play session, where mum’s with little ones can come and have a cup of coffee and a chat and the kids can play in a safe environment, it’s not just exclusively for mums."
They added: "A lot of the babies that come along are apprehensive and so are the parents at first after being locked away for so long because of covid. Once they’ve come along and we’ve dished them up a cup of coffee or a cup of tea we sit down and have a chat, we are really welcoming, really relaxed.
"We get regular people who come back every week which is fantastic and they welcome new people just as much as we do and we know that friendships have been formed through our group and from them meeting on a Wednesday.
"On a Saturday we do a private hire party on a Saturday and have held anti-natal groups who have meet over the internet as that’s the only way they could have done it during covid, but for the first time they have been able to meet up in person.
"We also ran an initiative called Mama’s meal boxes where we were giving away meal boxes to families who needed help. We had 150 families who come to us It all just was such a positive experience.
"We’ve built a sense of ideology and trust and sense of community. There has been so much positive which has happened from it.
"We get such good feedback, it’s so good to see it week in week out and get returning members. At the end of the day it’s word of mouth for businesses. If somebody keeps coming back you know you’re doing something right. We can’t thank Airbus enough, it opened the door to the community, not just us."
In second place last year and picking up an impressive £4,000 was North Bristol RFC and in third place and winning £2,000 was Children's Hospice South West.
The awards, which have helped dozens of community groups across the Bristol area since their launch, are now in their sixth year.
All registered groups will appear in the Bristol Post and online. People and community groups then vote online for their favourites until Sunday, September 19 at 11.59pm.
The winning groups with the most votes will then be announced - and will win a slice of the cash fund.
Terms and conditions:
1. Usual Bristol Post promotional rules apply, see www.bristol.live.co.uk/houserules for details.
2. Employees of Bristol Post, Reach plc, Airbus and their families are not eligible to vote.
3.The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
4. The £20,000 of awards prize money will be split between the top 10 most voted for groups. Divided proportionally to votes; first place, £7,000, second place, £4,000, third place £2,000 and seven runners up will receive £1,000 each. The cheque will be made payable to the winning group. The funding must be used for the specified criteria and will be approved by Airbus.
5. The winning group must be willing to participate in all photographic publicity.
6. Reach Plc Bristol and Airbus accept no responsibility after the prize has been handed over and shall not be held liable for any damage or injury caused by the awards prize money.
7. No purchase is necessary to enter this competition.
8. The awards money is not transferable.
9. Nominated groups that are successful will be published online and in the Bristol Post on Monday, 23rd August 2021.
10. Proof of delivery is not proof of the company’s receipt of entry and the company accepts no responsibility for entries/votes not received.
11. Any entry, which is incomplete, illegible or incorrect, will be invalid.
12. Where necessary, you must have permission from the group before submitting your entry.
13. Standard Bristol Post competition rules will also apply please visit competition rules at https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/rules/
14. Entry criteria for groups: Projects must be within a 20-mile radius of the Airbus Filton site (BS34 7PA) and within the Bristol Post Circulation area. Projects must be focused on the areas of youth, education, environment or inclusivity. Consideration will also be given to other projects that demonstrate considerable benefits to local communities over and above Airbus’ normal support criteria. Applications will be evaluated in respect of previously funded or rejected applications from other organisations.
15. Restrictions: Overhead costs are not supported for projects outside a 5-mile radius of the Filton site. Sports kit or sports club overhead costs will not be supported. Activities of a political or religious campaigning nature will not be considered. Applications on behalf of individuals will not be considered.
16. All group nominations will be reviewed to ensure they meet the above criteria, if the criteria are not met; Reach Plc reserves the right to remove groups from the competition. No correspondence will be entered into.
