The winners of the 2013 Scottish Charity Awards were announced at a ceremony at Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket last night.The Awards, organised by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), celebrate the vital work of charities, community groups and individuals dedicated to making Scotland a better place.
· Charity of the Year: Scottish SPCA
· Campaign of the Year: Equal Marriage – Equality Network
· Charity Champion: Michael Pattie, volunteer with Meningitis Research Foundation
· Partnership: Scottish Refugee Council and Aberlour Child Care
· Community Action: Eighteen and Under
· People’s Choice – Heart and Soul Award: Scottish SPCA
All shortlisted entries were automatically entered into the People’s Choice – Heart and Soul Award which was decided by online voting. A staggering 18,000 online votes were made by people in all parts of Scotland and right across the world.
Dr Alison Elliot
SVCO Convenor
According to Alison Elliot, Convener of SCVO who hosted the awards, “Everyone shortlisted is a winner in my book. The excellent quality of entries this year made our judges’ task difficult but it also demonstrates the creativity and dedication of people working and volunteering in third sector organisations across the length and breadth of Scotland.”
The Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, pointed out that the third sector “plays a major role in Scottish communities, helping to create jobs and training opportunities, supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, and improving public services. That is why this government is committed to working with the sector to ensure as many people as possible are protected and that Scotland remains a desirable place to work and live.”
Scottish SPCA enjoyed double success scooping both the Charity of the Year award and the People’s Choice Award. Its Head of Marketing & Communications, Michelle Grubb, said that the award was “a wonderful achievement which recognises the tremendous progress we’ve made in recent years. This has included helping more animals than ever before, breaking our fundraising records and developing our free education programme for Scottish schools which we believe will make a vital difference in years to come by encouraging children to treat animals with the care and respect they deserve. Everything we achieve is thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers and our supporters, without whom there simply wouldn’t be a Scottish SPCA.”