Winners celebrated at Welsh Charity Awards

Nominees of all ten categories travelled the length and breadth
of Wales to be at the ceremony, where they were celebrated for the
positive difference they have made in each of their communities, to
Wales and beyond.

Ruth Marks, Chief Executive of
WCVA, organisers of the Awards, said: ‘WCVA are thrilled to have been
able to throw a spotlight on the work of volunteers and
organisations in the third sector in Wales.

‘Each nominee and winner have
set an exemplary standard of excellence and as a judging panel, we
were blown away by their dedication and passion for the work they
do in making a real difference to the lives of thousands of
people.

‘Our brand-new, inaugural
Welsh Charity Awards have been a roaring success, and we are
thrilled they’ve been embraced by the sector. Huge congratulations to
everyone!’ 

Volunteer of the Year

The much-coveted 
Volunteer of the Year award was given to the very
dedicated  Momena
Ali, the founder and
president of Swansea based EYST
Wales, which provides young BME people, aged 11 to 25 years,
with a culturally sensitive and holistic support
service. 

For the past 15 years, Momena
Ali has been the heart and soul of the charity, volunteering
thousands of hours of her time, guiding and steering the staff and
board of trustees to grow and develop EYST into the thriving
organisation that it is today. 

Momena Ali said: ‘EYST is a wonderful
organisation, and I’m so proud to be part of its family. We all
have a responsibility to our community and volunteering is so
rewarding that I can honestly say it has been my
pleasure.’ 

Organisation of the Year

Organisation of the
Year  was awarded to
the entirely voluntary organisation,  Blood Bikes, which provides a free courier service
to the NHS, delivering blood supplies, plasma, human breast milk,
documents and other vital items across the whole
country.

The service is free of charge
and operates every day of the year, including bank holidays and
Christmas Day.

Blood Bikes Chair, Nigel Ward,
said:  ‘Our
volunteers are incredible and I know NHS Staff across the country
value their contribution enormously.  Winning this award will raise the
profile of the charity and inspire us to become even bigger and
better in 2020.’ 

Change Makers

The  Change Makers award went to  Diabetes UK
Cymru for its
powerful and  energetic campaigning, including the
‘Know Type 1’ campaign, with the Baldwin family from Cardiff, whose
son, Peter, passed away aged 13 years from undiagnosed Type 1
diabetes. 

Sally Taylor-Goodwin,
Communications Manager for Diabetes UK Cymru, said: 
‘”Know Type 1″ has had a direct
impact on people’s awareness of the symptoms, with two mums
approaching us directly crediting the Baldwin family and the
campaign for their children’s safe diagnosis.

‘Our campaign is ongoing and
we are honoured to work with the Baldwin family to help create a
legacy for their son, Peter; the work does not stop
here.’ 

Third Sector Prize

As well announcing the winners
the awards ceremony also revealed the recipient of the
Third Sector Prize, which will see
winners  Cerebra receive £10,000 worth of video
production and campaign delivery. The prize is a partnership
between WCVA and Cardiff based video production company, Rockadove,
who will be working with the Welsh charity to promote their work
supporting families across the UK with children with brain
condition. 

The full list of
winners can be seen at  welshcharityawards.cymru.  The date for nominations for next
year’s Welsh Charity Awards will be announced in the New
Year.