Some outstanding examples of Third Sector organisations, their staff and their volunteers had their achievements recognised at the second annual Celebrate Aberdeen Awards at the weekend.
The event, which took place at the new TECA, was attended by more than 500 people and was one of the first awards ceremonies to be held at the new facility. Introduced in 2018, the Celebrate Aberdeen Awards showcase and shine the spotlight on the enormous contribution which charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups and all the individuals who work for and support them make to the wider society.
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Thirty-four finalists had been shortlisted for the 11 award categories with the winners announced on the night. The award winners were chosen by a judging panel comprising 14 representatives from the business community, local authority and the media. The winners represented a broad spectrum of organisations both large and small.
The ARCHIE Foundation was named Large Charity of the Year for the second time while Inspire picked up two awards, Event of the Year for the Happily Never After Pantomime and the Team of the Year Award for Inspire’s Development Team.
Particularly poignant was the Heart of the Community award which was won posthumously by the Buchan community’s Norma Thomson.
“While we presented 11 awards on the night, every single finalist was a winner in our eyes,” said Celebrate Aberdeen founder Morven Mackenzie. “It was both humbling and inspiring to hear their stories and to see the positive impact everything they do has on thousands of other people.
“The Celebrate Aberdeen Parade was launched in 2011 to showcase and thank all of the city’s Third Sector organisations. This year’s parade saw more than 130 organisations and around 4,000 marchers take part. Introducing an awards event was the natural next step and the people in the room made it a memorable night for everyone.”
Celebrate Aberdeen is planned and run entirely by volunteers and is only possible thanks to the support it receives from the business community across all sectors. Thanks to that support, every shortlisted finalist hosted their own table completely free of charge.
“A huge thanks goes to all our Celebrate Aberdeen supporters, but particular thanks go to our platinum sponsor CNOOC International and our gold sponsors Wood, CNR International and Chrysaor. Without them this just wouldn’t happen,” said Morven.
The 2019 winners are:
- Young Supporter Of The Year – Emily Findlay
- Staff Member Of The Year – Suz Strachan, SensationALL
- Fundraiser Of The Year – Ahphun Allan Rossiter
- Corporate Partnership Of The Year – Baird Family Hospital and Aberdeen SANDS
- Campaign Of The Year – Dee View Appeal, Sue Ryder
- Event Of The Year – Happily Never After Pantomime, Inspire
- Volunteer Of The Year – Kirsten Farquhar, Friends Of The Neuro Ward
- Small Organisation Of The Year – Sunrise Partnership
- Large Organisation Of The Year – The ARCHIE Foundation
- Heart Of The Community – Norma Thomson
- Team Of The Year – Inspire’s Development Team
