Winners 2025
Jersey Charity Awards 2023 – Winners
Our compere for the afternoon, Gwyn Garfield-Bennett, author and communications professional.
Outstanding Achievement for a Small Charity - Short List
- Jersey Heart Support Group
- Jersey Sea Cadet Corps
- Pain Support Jersey
- Philips Footprints
- Sundeep Watts Memorial Fund
The work that’s been undertaken by these small not for profit organisations is quite extraordinary, especially considering that many have such big issue that they have been set up to help, such as Pain Support Jersey, who through their peer led, Craft and Chat project, have not only raised their profile, recruited new members, they have provided an opportunity for people with persistent pain to socialise and feel less alone in the world.
We have many overseas charities, based here in Jersey and the Sundeep Watts Memorial fund does some amazing work to improve welfare in impoverished regions in Kenya, this is not a case of throwing money at the issue they work closely with the government, schools and local people to provide practical support, generate regular income backed up with suitable plans.
Jersey Heart Support Group have now established an annual event, and through their ‘Heart to Heart fun run’ they have been able to purchase 3 portable defibrillators, one of these lifesaving pieces of equipment is now in place on the sea front.
The Jersey Sea Cadet Corps is a well known charity in the island, who provide nautical activities, all of which are aimed at giving young people a head start in life, by developing confidence, resilience, and leadership skills.
Philips Footprints are a relatively new charity they help those affected by the trauma of infant and child loss, from the very earliest of losses through to later pregnancy, and through their Safer Pregnancy Projects they work to improve outcomes for babies.
In 3rd Place
The initiative this charity put forward, was to expand access, engagement and excellence in engineering and STEM, supporting cadets who are interested in pursuing careers in engineering related fields, helping them to develop practical skills, gain experience and develop a passion for innovation and problem solving.
This is an organisation who really don’t stand still, they consistently come up with innovative, far-reaching initiatives and the lab they built and the Drone Project, in association with Jersey Search and Research, will continue to provide opportunities, especially for less academically focussed school leavers for years to come.
The Jersey Sea Cadet Corps
Unfortunately the Jersey Sea Cadet Corps couldn't make it to the awards, so the Lieutenant Governor, Sir Jerry Kyd accepted their award on their behalf!
In 2nd Place
Losing a baby or child is every parent’s biggest nightmare and we applaud the work of this charity, who support bereaved families.
Their project was to create an innovative, easy to navigate website that directs people to exactly what they need, in terms of specific support, be it a family facing the loss of their baby, or a woman having had a miscarriage. They planned this web site perfectly, finances were spot on, and they stayed within budget, which is never easy with a project like this.
They have really good volunteer engagement and work collaboratively with other agencies. They have also taken up what the government was doing in the past, with distributing around 600-700 pregnancy wallets every year, as well as donating around 120 memory boxes.
Philips Footprints
And the winner of the OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT FOR A SMALL CHARITY
This small charity punches way above its weight and they have made a big impact with a relatively small amount of money, just under £60k in fact, has enabled them to support a school, in a poverty-stricken area in Kenya, with expansion, staff recruitment, infrastructure development and implementation of government-imposed curriculum changes.
This was a well-researched, collaborative project that wasn’t just about building the extra classrooms, it recognised the vital importance of teacher recruitment, retention and motivation as well as ensuing sustainability, long after the dust had settled.
We liked the fact that their self-funded, fact-finding visit, worked with not just the School Director but other key partners, in developing a 16-month project timeline, and comprehensive plan with a budget and a clear outline of their ROI. All of which enabled 2 extra classrooms to be built, the equipping of a new science lab, repairs to teacher accommodation a new toilet block, fencing and added security.
Sundeep Watts Memorial Fund
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Outstanding Achievement for a Medium Charity - Short List
- After Breast Cancer (ABC) Jersey
- Autism Jersey
- Caring Cooks of Jersey
- Citizens Advice Jersey
- Kairos Arts
We all thoroughly enjoyed reading the applications in this category, which ranged from the vital work that ABC Jersey undertake, to support islanders affected by breast cancer, with practical, emotional and financial support, to Autism Jersey who are the only charity in Jersey dedicated to providing support and assistance to individuals who are autistic and their families.
Who hasn’t heard of the amazing work of Citizens Advice Jersey, who since 2014 have worked to improve the quality of life for all people in Jersey, along with their input with government policies and practices, which is at the backbone of this amazing charity.
Kairos Arts are a therapeutic arts organisation, with a big vision, to restore hope, dignity and self-worth through the creative arts and the project they submitted was inspirational, as it helps empower participants affected by domestic abuse, to build confidence, self-worth, whilst reducing stress, anxiety and social isolation.
Although Jersey is seen as a prosperous island, food poverty is a growing issue and its quite worrying to think that one in four children live in relative poverty in Jersey, thankfully Caring Cooks of Jersey is dedicated to ensuring that no child or family goes hungry, by providing practical support for immediate food needs, while also equipping families with long-term skills to build healthier, food-secure futures.
In 3rd Place
This charity works very collaboratively with their members to discuss and agree what activities they want to undertake and forward plan, and one such initiative is their Budget Kitchen programme, where members have to learn to plan, prep and cook nutritional, healthy meals.
Having a permanent base was key to the success of this project, as their clients have very different needs and abilities, making social interaction quite a challenge, so they needed an inclusive environment that was fit for purpose.
Working with Andium Homes and through the support of the Roy Overland Trust, a project plan was produced with a clear budget that has resulted in a permanent club base. The project has been so successful it has seen an increase in membership from 7 to 65, and has led to the appointment of a second Adult Social Club (ASC) coordinator.
Autism Jersey
In 2nd place
After experiencing a 130% rise in demand for its service and being in an outdated space, CAB set about redesigning the layout and full refurbishment of their base. The new space now has private meeting rooms, a more welcoming reception area and vastly improved workspaces, with upgraded IT systems, better heating and lighting. It’s a more inclusive, sustainable space that ‘helps people feel better the minute they walk through the door’.
It was very important they could continue to operate throughout the transition, as they work with many external agencies, so with help from Ashburton, who provided a temporary home and good planning in booking the Santander pop up rooms, there was no disruption to their service
They had a comprehensive budget and even though they experienced a ceiling collapse, they stayed not only calm, they kept under budget This was a meticulously planned operation, with a clear ROI that has had a massive island wide impact, allowing them to increase the number of clients helped from around 12,000 clients to just over 28,000 by the end of 2024.
Citizen’s Advice Jersey
And the winner of the OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT FOR A MEDIUM CHARITY
This charity has once again responded quickly to changing needs, developing an additional service, to those most in need, this time through their Holiday Hunger initiative. This collaborative meal service is run in conjunction with schools, community organisations, charities and funders to ensure the service is inclusive and trusted.
This was a well thought out, targeted and collaborative initiative, with clearly defined KPI’s and objectives, with a budgeted target to reach 100 children per day, they managed to stay within budget with over 200 children making use of the service, by sourcing gifts in kind and through the use of their amazing volunteers.
Without a doubt all the judges agreed that what this charity has achieved, in fulfilling its mission to improve the long-term health, wellbeing and life outcomes of children and families in Jersey by addressing food insecurity and poor nutrition, is phenomenal and deserves the accolade of winning this category.
Caring Cooks of Jersey
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Outstanding Achievement for a Large Charity - Short List
- Durrell
- Family Nursing and Home Care
- Jersey Child Care Trust
- Les Amis
- Sanctuary Trust
- Jersey Hospice Care
This was one of the hardest categories to judge as all entrants had submitted excellent applications which had addressed the criteria set out in the application, in our eyes, they are all deserving of an award.
We were impressed with the increased collaborative nature of the work of some of the islands oldest charities, including Jersey Child Care Trust, who continue to put families first, enabling children to have the best start in life. Their initiative to set up an extra nursery to provide an additional 16 part time, places for children with special needs was well thought out, project planning was key to their success, and they really should feel very proud of what they have achieved with their ‘Play and Learn at Auvergne’ project.
Durrell really is a household name known throughout the world for its leading conservation work, they have brought Jersey Zoo bang up to date, with a new interactive visitor app, designed to enhance the experience for visitors, with features that encourage a connection with nature and conservation education.
Jersey Hospice Care have really stepped up their technical expertise, with their 72-hour fundraising campaign ‘Together for Hospice’, with an ambitious target to raise £100k, it was great to see they had thought about their ROI (return on investment) and not just from a financial perspective but also with regards to the reach of the campaign.
Family Nursing and Home Care really does deserve recognition for its Childhood Health Improvement Pilot Project (CHIPP) which is a pioneering initiative tackling childhood obesity and health inequalities in Jersey.
Sanctuary Trust go from strength to strength, never one to rest on their laurels, they developed a new dedicated, professional counselling service to help meet the growing mental health needs of those they support.
Les Amis is a lovely example of an organisation that invests in its partnerships, whilst keeping their core aims focussed on providing individuals with learning disabilities, the opportunity to live independently, whilst receiving support tailored to their specific needs.
In 3rd place
This large organisation really does work to improve community healthcare throughout Jersey, and specifically through their pioneering - (CHIPP) they are tackling health inequalities and specifically childhood obesity.
With 20% of reception aged children and 29% of year 6 children classified as overweight or obese, they have delivered an evidence-based intervention, to empower parents to make sustainable lifestyle changes, tailored to local needs and delivered through schools, homes and online.
We loved the detail in the exemplary planning, with defined outcomes and excellent budgeting, how collaborative this organisation works and how they share results with stakeholders.
Empowering families to make lasting lifestyle changes, will as they say - reduce future health risks and strengthen their preventive care model, which has the potential to reduce the long-term burden on Jersey health care system and improving population health in Jersey.
Family Nursing and Home Care
In 2nd place
This was a project initially bred out of necessity when Government officers indicated that they did not support a new large facility. This decision increased the need for independent living apartments.
However, in response, this led to a great result, as les Amis now have a new supported living facility at Leslie Norman Court that allows individuals to live in their own homes whilst continuing to be being fully supported, according to each individuals’ specific needs. This helps foster a sense of autonomy, self-empowerment for residents that also allows for social interaction and community integration.
This new facility offers individuals more opportunities to interact with peers, build friendships and engage in social activities, which can help reduce social isolation and loneliness, which we all know, having the opportunity to interact with other is critical to mental health and wellbeing.
They have demonstrated some excellent project planning and sound financial management, for a project of this scale, in their applications which deserves to be recognised and applauded.
Les Amis
And the winner of the OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT FOR A LARGE CHARITY
This charity held a fundraising campaign in March this year, with the aim of raising 100k in just 72 hours, which they achieved. And all done with a relatively small budget, just under £6k, which was mainly supporting their 49 volunteers with stewardship of their events, their ROI is incredible.
This innovative, digital fundraising campaign was the first of its kind to be run on the island and we loved the fact that this charity had secured matched funding and that donors could instantly see their donation double, with a live countdown clock and real time fundraising progress, which helped to enhance donor participation and drive charitable giving.
It is a recognisable fact that there is a constant need for this charity to raise funds, with operating costs in the region of £6.5 m a year, this is a sustainable initiative, as it not only engaged existing donors it helped to recruit new supporters and spread the word.
They made excellent use of social media marketing, which was clearly meticulously planned and as leaders in the Jersey charity sector, we look forward to the sharing of lessons learnt with other charities in Jersey.
Jersey Hospice Care
Outstanding Contribution Award
This is an extra award, designed to celebrate an ‘individual’, who has gone over and above to support a charity in their charitable work.
Suzy Webb has been an outstanding volunteer and supporter of the work of Caring Cooks of Jersey for several years.
Despite having a very busy job and many personal commitments, she shows up consistently to support their Weekly Meal Service, helping them provide meals for some of the most vulnerable families in the island.
Suzy brings calm and care always. The families know her and trust her. She always shows up with a smile, ready to do whatever is needed, whether that means preparing food, packing meals, delivering them, chatting to parents or simply being a reassuring presence.
Beyond the weekly service, Suzy volunteers for almost every other event or activity we run. From fundraising events and Christmas campaigns, she is always the first to say yes. Nothing is ever too much trouble. She also volunteers for other charities.
She never seeks recognition or attention. She just quietly gets on with it because she cares. We often say that people like Suzy are the heart of what we do. She brings a sense of kindness, loyalty and reliability that money cannot buy.
We feel incredibly lucky to have her as part of our team.
Suzy Webb
Unfortunately Suzy could not attend the ceremony so her award was collected by Caring Cooks CEO, Yvonne Corbin
Winner 2025
