Village SOS Competition Awards

VILLAGE SOS, an initiative from the Big Lottery Fund and the BBC, is running a competition which will make awards of between £10,000 and £30,000 to support community enterprise in villages (with populations of less than 3,000).

The competition seeks to give money to enterprising ideas that will use the skills of local people and the area’s natural resources, land and buildings. Community enterprises are businesses that are owned and run by villagers themselves, such as village shops and pubs.

Village SOS highlight the fact that there are around 260 community-owned village shops currently thriving. They are distinguishable from private-sector enterprises by the fact that they re-invest any profits back into the community.

Entry forms for the competition can be submitted online, but must be done so by 5pm, on Thursday 20 October 2011. Find out more at www.villagesos.org.uk/competition

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Sport and Play Recognition Awards - Nominate your local heroes

YOU CAN NOMINATE your local community sport or play heroes for an Annual Awards event to be held in Bridlington in May 2011.

The Annual Sport and Play Recognition Awards have been designed to recognise the contribution of sports clubs, coaches, community groups, performers and volunteers to sport and play throughout the East Riding. The awards will cover categories, including top community play project, top sports club, top coach, top school (both primary and secondary) talented performer, top team (community or school) adult unsung hero (community or school) junior volunteer ( for under 18s working in the community or school) and the services to sport and play award.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Sport and Play Development Service will be holding its annual Sport and Play Recognition Awards on Wednesday, 4 May 2011 at The Spa Bridlington.

The awards are designed to recognise the hard work, commitment and time that volunteers and participants have put into sport and play across the East Riding and also to recognise the achievements of talented individuals and teams.

All nominations will be judged on their ability to meet the criteria set for the awards. Nominations will be judged by an awards panel and the chairman of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Councillor David Rudd.

The top nominations in each category will be invited to the awards evening with the chairman announcing the top nomination in each of the categories as the winner.

The closing date for all nomination forms to be returned is Tuesday, 1 March 2011 any received after this date will not be assessed. Nomination forms and further information about the awards are available from Sarah Johnson on (01482) 392526 or email sarah.johnson@eastriding.gov.uk. Find out more on the East Riding Council website at About Volunteering.

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Downing Street Big Society Awards

NUMBER 10 DOWNING STREET has launched a Big Society Award to recognise individuals, groups or organisations that are demonstrating the Big Society in their work or activities.

The "Big Society" project is becoming more clear especially with the publication of the Cabinet Office Business Plan last week, but such Awards are still probably a good idea in order for the Government to popularise and explain the concept.

Any individual, group or organisation can be nominated for an Award which can be completed online.

And what are the actual Awards to be won?

The group will receive formal recognition for the important work that they are doing. They will also receive a plaque and the opportunity to attend a reception at 10 Downing Street.

The 'prize' might/might not be the most appealing, but there is something to be said for local voluntary and community groups applying and demonstrating that they have been doing the 'Big Society' all along - certainly before that term was invented!

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