Small charities up for cash prize in Best Volunteer award

Britain's Best Volunteer 2014

Markel UK, the specialist charity insurer and Small Charities Coalition, the support organisation for small charities, have come together to launch the Britain’s Best Volunteer award, to reward those who volunteer their time to help small, local charities, community groups and not-for-profit organisations.

The UK public will be given the opportunity to nominate a volunteer who they think best deserves the award. Nominations will be judged against a range of criteria including how long they have volunteered for; if they have overcome personal challenges; how their work has inspired others; and the impact their work has had on their charity.

The winner of the award will receive £1,250 for the charity or charities of their choice and a personal prize of a holiday voucher worth £1,000. Runners up will receive £250 for a charity of their choice and a personal prize of an iPad mini.

From today members of the public will be able to make their nominations online, which will remain open until February 21.

Following the nomination stage, a judging panel of Alex Swallow, CEO of Small Charities Coalition, Michael Scott, Investing in Volunteers Manager of NCVO, the largest umbrella body for the voluntary and community sector, and Andy Partington, Director of Markel UK, will select a shortlist of finalists who will be eligible to win the Britain’s Best Volunteer award. Members of the public will then be able to vote online for their favourite finalist from March 3 to March 21.

Nominees must be over 18 and must be volunteers for a charity or community group with an income of less than £1m. Volunteers may hold any position within the organisation providing they are unpaid.

Andy Partington, from Markel UK said: “Whilst the spotlight is often on the larger, national charitable organisations, those involved with smaller charities within their own communities make a tremendous impact. We wanted to give people the chance to celebrate the outstanding and dedicated work that so many people give to the smaller, local charities, as well as giving the winner something to enjoy and their organisation some financial support. The finalists will also have the opportunity to talk about what they and their charity do, and that should help in their visibility and their fundraising.”

Alex Swallow at Small Charities Coalition added: “The great work of smaller charities can often slip under the radar. It’s thanks to volunteers all over the UK that these smaller charities and organisations can continue to thrive, so we wanted to highlight and recognise the efforts of these outstanding individuals.”

Charity insurance from £3 a month