Vote for your community heroes in the Community Awards 2024/2025.
Public voting has opened for three special categories in the Bath and North East Somerset Community Awards which recognise the fantastic contributions individuals and organisations make to communities.
The Community Awards 2024/25 celebrate people in B&NES who make life better for others and opened for nominations in October 2024.
This year’s awards organised by Bath & North East Somerset Council and its partners have nine categories, three of which are now open for public voting with a shortlist of three nominees in each:
- Charity of the Year
- Volunteer Team of the Year
- Young Volunteer Team of the Year
You may vote once in each category. Please use the following headings to read more about each nomination before you cast your vote.
Category 1: Charity of the Year
Forget Me Not Dementia Care is a dedicated day care centre in Twerton, providing exceptional support and activities for people with dementia. Founded by Ruth Lane, the centre has been a beacon of hope for the past four years, especially after the closure of Alzheimer’s day centres.
- Personalised Care: The centre offers a warm, community-focused environment where everyone feels part of a group.
- Trained Staff: All staff members are trained to provide various activities tailored to the needs of attendees.
- Family Support: Forget Me Not extends its care to the families of dementia patients, ensuring they feel supported too.
- Community Interest Company: Despite receiving no external funding, the centre thrives on donations and the tireless efforts of Ruth and her team.
Why They Deserve Recognition: Ruth Lane and her staff work tirelessly, often without pay, to secure the centre’s financial future. The smiling faces and positive feedback from families online are a testament to the excellent service provided. As a self-funded organisation, Forget Me Not relies on donations to continue their invaluable work.
I Can and I Am is a charity tackling one of the most critical issues in our community: The mental health of young people. Today's youth face immense pressure from smartphones, the pandemic, and rising expectations in all areas of life, from appearance to academics.
- Self-Belief: They use self-belief as a key strategy, offering a more comfortable and proactive approach to mental health.
- Positive Messaging: They focus on positivity, helping young people see where they can achieve and affirming their value.
- Empowerment Tools: They provide tools that empower users to understand their potential and worth.
By promoting self-belief and positivity, I Can and I Am helps young people navigate the pressures of modern life with confidence and resilience.
Trauma Breakthrough is a Bath-based charity dedicated to supporting survivors of trauma and abuse, as well as those in mental health crisis, for over 10 years. They are a crucial referral pathway for GP surgeries, mental health teams, universities, and wellbeing hubs, thanks to their unique and personalised support.
- Specialised Support: They offer one-of-a-kind support to each individual, making them a vital resource in the community.
- Training and Education: Trauma Breakthrough provides training for local organisations, including schools, Mind, GPs, and volunteer teams, on how to support people struggling with mental health issues.
- Essential Service: Without them, there would be no trauma-specialist service in the area, despite the high prevalence of trauma and the significant risk of self-harm among those on NHS waiting lists.
Their work ensures that survivors receive the care they need, and local organisations are better equipped to support mental health. Despite being a small team, their impact is profound, offering lifesaving support to those in need.
Category 2: Volunteer Team of the Year
Keynsham Community Fridge is managed by a dedicated team of 28 volunteers at the Savour Farm Kitchen cafe on Temple Street. Since February 2020, this initiative has been saving good food from landfill and providing it to the community.
- Food Collection and Distribution: Volunteers collect surplus food from 8 supermarkets, making 80-90 collections each month. The food is then arranged in the fridge and on shelves for the public to take, with a suggested limit of one bag per customer.
- Environmental Impact: In 2024 alone, they collected approximately 19 tonnes of food, significantly reducing waste.
- Accessibility: The fridge is open to everyone, but it has become a crucial resource for those experiencing food insecurity, especially with the rising cost of living.
- Collaboration: The team uses a WhatsApp group to coordinate their efforts, ensuring smooth operations and quick responses to any issues.
The remarkable teamwork and dedication of the Keynsham Community Fridge volunteers provide an invaluable service to the community.
The Together Project is a community outreach initiative established in 2018, run by volunteer vets and nurses in Bath. They provide non-judgmental veterinary advice, treatment, and care to the pets of vulnerably housed and homeless individuals.
- Preventative Healthcare: Free services including vaccinations, neutering, and microchipping.
- Complex Treatments: Dental procedures, pain relief, antibiotics, and treatments for infections.
- Monthly Clinics: Held at Genesis on the Canal, offering free treatment and essential pet supplies.
- Mobile Outreach: Volunteers visit Bath city centre monthly to reach clients unable to attend clinics.
The Together Project team is passionate, dedicated, and kind, making a profound impact on the well-being of both pets and their owners.
Somer Valley FM is a volunteer-driven, Ofcom-licensed community radio station serving North East Somerset, including Midsomer Norton, Radstock, Westfield, and surrounding areas. Launched in 2008 as a not-for-profit organisation, it exists to benefit the community.
- Local Entertainment: Provides wonderful, local entertainment and promotes local events and activities.
- Volunteer Efforts: Managed by 70 dedicated volunteers, including 20 young people from local schools, who contribute countless hours each week.
- Community Involvement: Presenters are actively involved in local events, helping with comparing and promoting.
- Training and Development: Uses its resources to train people in media, enhancing their CVs and sometimes launching careers.
- Consistency: Volunteers often start as part of their education and continue contributing into adulthood, supporting community life.
- Broadcasting and Social Investment: Broadcasts around 90 hours of fresh community content, information, and entertainment weekly.
- Pandemic Response: Served as a key point for disseminating public health information during the pandemic.
- Cultural Understanding: Developed the Ukrainian Show to support refugees and foster cultural understanding, entirely supported by volunteers.
Somer Valley FM is a cornerstone of the community, offering invaluable services and opportunities through the dedication of its volunteers. Its consistent support and innovative programmes make it a vital part of community life.
Category 3: Young Volunteer Team of the Year
The BANES Youth Forum is a group of passionate young people aged 11-18 (or up to 25 with additional needs) dedicated to amplifying youth voices. Supported by the youth wellbeing charity Off the Record, they launched the Being Neurodivergent in School campaign to improve school provisions for neurodivergent pupils in Bath and North East Somerset (BANES).
Campaign Objectives
- Conduct local research and review national studies to identify beneficial changes for neurodivergent pupils.
- Produce a report and teacher’s toolkit with practical recommendations for schools.
- Promote the toolkit through social media, press, direct outreach, and network partners.
- Empower Youth Forum participants by building their confidence, campaigning skills, and mental wellbeing.
Key Achievements:
- Research and Toolkit: Surveyed 78 neurodivergent young people, resulting in a report and toolkit sent to all mainstream schools in BANES.
- Influence: The toolkit has been used in teacher training and SENCO conferences, with positive feedback and commitments from multiple schools.
- Recommendations: Key suggestions include more neurodiversity training for staff, avoiding punishment for neurodivergent challenges, providing quiet spaces, and educating all pupils about neurodiversity.
- Impact:
- School Accessibility: The campaign is making schools more accessible for neurodivergent pupils, with eight schools already planning to implement the recommendations.
- Empowerment: Participants have reported improved mental health and wellbeing, showcasing the transformative power of youth-led initiatives.
The BANES Youth Forum demonstrates how dedicated young people can drive meaningful change, creating a more inclusive education system in their community.
Bath Marrow, an active student-led group has a long history of making a direct and immediate impact on the lives of people with blood cancer and their families through the Anthony Nolan charity.
Key Activities:
- Donor Recruitment: Students from various disciplines, including Biomedical Sciences and Psychology, volunteer their time to run regular donor recruitment sessions on campus, signing people onto the stem cell register.
- Creative Fundraising: The team organises unique initiatives such as ‘Marroween’ (a bake sale and face painting stall) and ‘Marrowmas’ (a Christmas raffle).
- Challenges and Awareness: They take on extra challenges like running the Bath Half Marathon to raise funds and awareness.
Impact and Recognition
- Community Engagement: Bath Marrow’s efforts have a significant impact on the community, helping to save lives and support families affected by blood cancer.
- Pride and Nomination: The Students’ Union is proud to nominate Bath Marrow for their dedication and hard work. Bath Marrow exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism and community service.
Nightline is a student-led, confidential, and non-judgemental listening service available to University of Bath students from 8:00pm to 8:00am every night of term. It provides a safe space for students to discuss a variety of topics, from casual chats to serious issues like suicide.
Key Initiatives
- Difficult Calls Workshop: This workshop helps volunteers handle politically sensitive conversations with empathy and neutrality.
- Nightline Awareness Week (NLAW): A national movement promoting student mental health, featuring activities like positive note writing, origami sessions, and movie nights.
- Collaborations: Partnering with various societies to increase outreach, including meditation sessions and potential collaborations with the Crochet and Knit Society and Food Society.
Training and Support
- Enhanced Training: Incorporating best practices from other Nightline branches to improve volunteer training.
- Volunteer Welfare: Introducing Office Hours for casual conversations and welfare support, along with social events to build community.
Service Improvements
Nightline's dedication to providing confidential support and fostering a sense of community makes it an invaluable resource for University of Bath students.
- Website Enhancements: Improving the website's aesthetics and accessibility to make it easier for students to find information and contact Nightline.
Cast your vote for the Community Awards
Your vote will help celebrate and acknowledge the incredible efforts of those making a difference in our community. Please cast your vote and support these outstanding nominees.