Through our Community Volunteer Awards, we aim to reward individuals and organisations for the great work you do in and around Blackburn with Darwen.
A total of 19 awards are available under 12 categories.
People and organisations can be nominated for as many categories as you would like. However the Awards Panel reserve the right to shortlist the nomination for a maximum of one category and potentially Volunteer of the Year and/or the Lifetime Achievement Award ensuring that everyone has a maximum of two shortlisted nominations.
The categories
General Criteria
Each nomination will be assessed against three general criteria:
- The background and particular circumstance relating to the individual or organisation and their journey
- The voluntary effort that the individual or organisation has made and is making
- The impact or difference that voluntary effort has made and is making to our communities within Blackburn with Darwen.
Health & Well Being Award (Group and Individual Award)
Awarded to any individual volunteer or team of volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to improving the health and well-being of residents of Blackburn with Darwen.
Prosperity, Learning & Employment Award
Awarded to any individual volunteer or team of volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to improving the prosperity, skills or employment prospects of residents of Blackburn with Darwen.
Grassroots Award (Group and Individual Award)
Awarded to any individual or Group whose voluntary efforts have made a real difference to the residents and borough of Blackburn with Darwen.
Young People’s Award – Individual Award
Awarded to any young person who volunteers to make their neighbourhood or local community a better place to live or work.
Young People’s Award – Group Award
Awarded to any Organisation whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to giving children and young people the best start in life within Blackburn with Darwen.
Renee Black Award
Awarded to any individual volunteer or team of volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to bringing together the different communities of Blackburn with Darwen and building a shared understanding between different sections of our community.
Environment Award (Group and Individual Award)
Awarded to any individual volunteer or team of volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to improving the local environment and having a positive impact on people’s lives within Blackburn with Darwen.
Culture, Leisure & Sporting Life Category Award (Group and Individual Award)
Awarded to any individual volunteer or team of volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to the culture, leisure and sporting life of Blackburn with Darwen.
Lindsay Dunn Award (Group and Individual Award)
This award is awarded in memory of Lindsay Dunn, a volunteer who was passionate about helping the most marginalised people within society.
Awarded to any individual volunteer or team of volunteers whose enthusiasm and dedication has made an outstanding voluntary contribution to improving the lives of people experiencing complex, severe and multiple disadvantage (e.g.
poverty, homelessness, poor mental health, offending background, recovering from alcohol or substance misuse, domestic abuse, etc.)
Community Involvement Award (Group Award)
Awarded to any organisation from across the public, commercial or voluntary, community and faith sectors whose commitment to social responsibility has made a real difference to the residents and borough of Blackburn with Darwen.
Good Neighbour Award
Awarded to the volunteer that helps make their neighbourhood or local community a better place to live or work.
Volunteer of the Year Award
Awarded to the volunteer whose enthusiasm and dedication to volunteering has made a real difference to the community within the past year. Anyone can be directly nominated for the Volunteer of the Year Award. However, the awards panel reserve the right to elevate any nomination to the volunteer of the year category if they think the nomination merits receiving the overall award.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded to the volunteer who has demonstrated an exemplary long-term commitment to the voluntary, community and faith sector through sharing their expertise, skill set and knowledge. To qualify for the award the individual must have volunteered or worked within the voluntary, community and faith sector for a minimum of 20 years.
Award Sponsors and Supporters
Many thanks to our award sponsors and supporters without whose support we would be unable to put on the Community Volunteer Awards ceremony.
Community Volunteer Awards 2023
We had a fantastic response to our call for nominations last year, with over 700 nominations. We are deeply grateful to everyone who took the time to nominate their community heroes, the delegates who attended on Thursday 7th September to decide the list of winners and finalists – and, most of all, to everyone who was nominated for their brilliant work, enhancing and enriching all of our communities.
Award sponsors and supporters
Many thanks to our award sponsors and supporters without whose support we would be unable to put on the Community Volunteer Awards ceremony.
Community Volunteer Awards 2022
2022’s award ceremony took place on Thursday 3rd November at King George’s Hall.