Excellent Development shortlisted in environment category
Excellent Development, a small charity based in Brentford, has been nominated for a major national prize at The Charity Awards 2008, the UK charity sector’s most prestigious award scheme.
Chosen from a long list of entries, the charity, which helps disadvantaged communities in rural Africa to improve their water supplies, food production, health and incomes using environmental and sustainable methods, has been shortlisted in the Environment category. It is hoping to pick up the coveted award at a star-studded awards ceremony in London on 19 th June hosted by Marcus Brigstocke and attended by celebrities including Claudia Winkleman, Prunella Scales, Terry Waite, the Rt Hon David Blunkett and Lauren Laverne.
The annual Charity Awards ceremony, sponsored by the Charities Aid Foundation and The Times, is the most high-profile event in the charity world calendar. Now in their ninth year, the awards recognise excellence in the management of charities, acknowledging the outstanding work and achievements of all charities, big or small, from across the UK and the tireless commitment of the people behind them. The charities, which submit their own entries, are each shortlisted for specific initiatives which have improved the delivery of their charitable objectives and which demonstrate an outstanding example of innovation and best practice from which other charities can learn.
The Charity Award judges have recognised the wonderful work Excellent Development does in helping communities in Kenya to sustainably transform their environments by building sand dams, planting trees and creating terraced land to improve soil and water conservation and enable increased food production. Since it was founded in 2002, Excellent Development has worked with its community self-help group partners to build 158 sand dams, and helped 47 communities set up tree nurseries and terrace land. All of the projects have been successful, in some cases far beyond expectations because of the communities’ drive and determination to change their lives.
Simon Maddrell, Excellent Development’s founder and Executive Director said, “We are delighted to be recognised by the Charity Awards for our work in enabling Kenyan rural communities to develop through the conservation of the environment. We hope that this award will highlight the huge benefits of sand dam technology and our soil and water conservation model of terracing land and planting trees.”
If it wins its category, the charity will then be in the running to pick up the Overall award for excellence in charity management – a prestigious award given to the best of the category winners, won last year by Storybook Dads. The Charity Awards 2008 is organised by Charity Finance, the leading business publication for the voluntary sector. The distinguished panel of judges includes John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, Maeve Sherlock OBE, former chief executive of the Refugee Council, Ian Allsop, editor of Charity Finance, Dame Jo Williams, chief executive of Mencap, David Harker, chief executive of Citizens Advice , and Bharat Mehta OBE, chief executive of the City Parochial Foundation.
June 20, 2008
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