Last night the Society were pleased to once again be the headline sponsor of the second annual Greenham Trust Charity Awards, celebrating the work of charities, fundraisers, and volunteers across West Berkshire and North Hampshire.
Emma Gentry, Head of Marketing and Communications, gave a welcome speech and presented the Fundraiser of the Year award, won by Matt Walburn-Green, who has raised incredible amounts for Swings & Smiles.
Also in attendance were the Society’s Head of Treasury, Jamie Troughton, who raised over £500 for the Newbury Soup Kitchen Sleepout in October, and Matthew Wilding, Senior Branch Manager of the Society’s Thatcham and Hungerford branches.
Emma commented: “We were so pleased to be able to sponsor the Greenham Trust Charity Awards again last night. It was fantastic to recognise so many local charities and community groups who work tirelessly, often without recognition, to make the places we live better, brighter, more compassionate places to be.
As a mutual organisation, supporting local people is something that is very important to us, so it was very special to see so many charities we have worked closely with in recent years recognised for their continued hard work and dedication. Well done to all nominees and winners – we are in awe of your achievements.”
Many charities and groups recognised on the night, including Time to Talk, All Yours Period Box CIC, and Speen Community Café, are previous recipients of the Society’s Community Support Scheme, which awards small grants of between £100 and £500 four times a year.
We would also like to recognise our head office, Hungerford branch, Newbury branch, and Thatcham branch charity partners – Newbury Soup Kitchen, Prior’s Court, Newbury Cancer Care, and Swings & Smiles, who were each nominated for awards. Particular congratulations must go to Newbury Soup Kitchen, who won Charity of the Year for the Disadvantaged and were named overall Charity of the Year 2024.
Get involved
To learn more about how we support local charitable organisations, visit our Charity and Community page. To apply for a grant in the next round of our Community Support Scheme (closing 31 January 2025), click here.
