Announcing the Community Link-Up Awards 2013

It's time to celebrate!

Community Link-Up has been a great success this year because of your hard work, so today sees the launch of the Community Link-Up Awards to say "thank you". 2013 saw the broadening of our community initiative into three key strands, so it's appropriate that the Awards have also changed to reflect this.

This year's categories are:

Fundraising Awards

• Fundraiser of the Year (team)


• Fundraiser of the Year (individual)


• Most Inspirational Individual

Volunteering Awards

• Volunteer of the Year (team)


• Volunteer of the Year (individual)

Link-Up Awards

• Best Link-Up Event


• Best Link-Up Location

You'll find all the details of this years Awards including their nomination criteria in the Awards Brochure (NB this is a pdf download).  You can also download the Nomination Form.

The closing date for Award nominations is Friday 17th January 2014.

Nomination forms can be sent to Laura Morris at any time up to the closing date via email.

Or you can post them to: Laura Morris, Group Communications Executive, Rowan House, Cherry Orchard North, Kembrey Park, Swindon, SN2 8UH.

Good luck and happy nominating!

The Community Week Awards in Pictures

[caption id="attachment_4249" align="alignleft" width="225"] Oh look! We're at the Community Week Awards![/caption]

Last Friday saw the staging of the first Smiths News Community Week Awards. The Wroughton Suite at Alexandra House was the chosen venue, which glittered with a sprinkling of gold and stars to welcome our guests.

Many of the Awards nominees from across the Group were in attendance, together with representatives from 2 charities local to Swindon - DASH and Swindon Down's Syndrome Group - who've benefitted from your fundraising in 2012. The mysterious smithsnews who writes this blog was present, as was Andy Cook, who made sure From S to N ran so smoothly.

There was another very special guest, whose identity will be revealed shortly.

The following photographs are designed to give you a flavour of the day. Look out for the Dispatches special hitting your desks shortly, which gives you more in the way of details about the award winners. It's hoped the Community Week Awards will become a firm fixture in Smiths News' calendar. See you there next year?

[caption id="attachment_4251" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The scene is set for lunch...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4250" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ... and Michael Jamieson's here :)[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4252" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Oh my! Someone's a winner![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4253" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A sneak peek at some of the winners[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4254" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Michael thanks everyone for their support this year[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4255" align="aligncenter" width="300"] So everyone wants to have their picture taken with him...[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4256" align="aligncenter" width="300"] ... and he gracefully complies with a smile[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4257" align="aligncenter" width="300"] On the way home with an award after a great day[/caption]

Thanks to smithsnews and @bertramlibs for the photos.