Waltham Abbey Youth, The Gifted Organisation and the Red Balloon Family Foundation were among 23 charities to be recognised as part of the prestigious High Sheriff's Awards.
Covid-19 restrictions made it impossible to hold the event at its usual venue, Hylands House in Chelmsford, but the High Sheriff of Essex, Julie Fosh, was determined the show would go on.
Last Wednesday's ceremony, broadcast live on the radio by BBC Essex for the first time, lost none of its kudos and high-profile recognition was given to charities tackling crime, community safety and anti-social behaviour.
All three West Essex charities were invited to talk about their work live on the show and The Gifted Organisation and the Red Balloon Family Foundation were also overall winners in their categories for the High Sheriff’s Cup and the Essex County fire & Rescue Service Shield.
The Gifted Organisation won the High Sheriff's Cup
Other projects across the county receiving recognition included a knife crime education programme for young people, an organisation providing work experience to ex-offenders and a specialist support scheme for victims of modern slavery.
A total of 23 local organisations received grants of more than £42,000 from the High Sheriffs’ Fund, which is managed by the independent charitable trust Essex Community Foundation (ECF). Since the fund was established with ECF in 1997 grants totalling nearly £614,000 have been awarded.
For Julie Fosh, the awards were the culmination of her successful year in office at a time like no other in the long history of High Sheriffs of Essex.
She said: “It was so important that this annual thank you to the voluntary sector did not fall to the wayside in the wake of Covid-19. The idea to go live on the radio was brilliant, as everyone could still hear about the vital work groups are doing across the county and it was an opportunity for us to come together, over the airwaves, to celebrate something positive.”
Alongside the grants, special awards were presented to five organisations:
The High Sheriffs’ Cup was awarded to The Gifted Organisation for their work delivering online confidence and skills building sessions for young women living in Harlow, Ongar and West Essex.
The Essex County Council Bowl was won by Justice and Care who work with Essex Police to increasing the provision of specialised support to victims of modern slavery.
The Essex County Fire & Rescue Shield went to Red Balloon Family Foundation for their intervention programme helping young people in Epping Forest district who are at risk of criminal exploitation.
The Essex Police Cup was awarded to St Giles Trust for the preventative sessions on violence, vulnerability and exploitation they provide to pupils in seven Essex schools.
The High Sheriffs’ Shield went to Ormiston Families for their work helping children across Essex to deal with having a parent or carer in prison.
Julie Fosh with the certificate that was awarded to Waltham Abbey Youth
Caroline Taylor, chief executive of ECF, said: “The awards is such an inspiring event and one of my favourite nights of the year. Although we were hugely disappointed that we couldn’t bring everyone together for our in-person event, we are so grateful to BBC Essex for making it possible to still recognise and commend the charities' work.
“The voluntary sector has had an incredibly tough time over the past year, so we are urging any organisations in need of financial support for their work to get in touch with us. We may be able to help.”
For more information about ECF and a full list of organisations presented with an award, visit www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk
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