16/09/2010 - Giving World Online Commended by Beacon Fellowship

We are all delighted that Rama and Sujata Bhalla have just received a Beacon Prize 2010 ‘Highly Commended’ certificate in the New Initiatives Category for launching Giving World Online.

With previous Beacon winners including the likes of Sir Bob Geldolf, Jamie Oliver and Big Issue founder John Bird, to even be considered alongside such great company is a real achievement.

The sisters were nominated by Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Community Foundation and Leicestershire First.

The Beacon Fellowship Trust commented, “Our panel of independent judges thought your achievements were remarkable; that you were nominated by your peers proves that your contribution to charitable and social causes is truly inspirational.”

Sujata Bhalla said: "We were really surprised to receive our Beacon Prize Highly Commended certificate. Receiving recognition like this is a great boost and confirms that Giving World Online is making a valuable contribution to communities and the environment."

The Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust was established to help change the climate of giving in the UK; to encourage everyone, not just a few, to take personal responsibility for charity in the UK. Beacon works to uncover and recognise extraordinary achievements in the world of charity.

Read the original story and more at Giving World Online's site.

Charity benefits from donated hot plate

Today we follow the life-cycle of a Victor Crown Hot Plate and Cabinet, recently donated by Capital One and gratefully received by Whitwick Community Coffee Shop.

Manufactured by Victor Catering Equipment, The Victor Crown mobile catering hot plate has been serving Capital One’s workforce for most of its life. Recently, Capital One restructured which involved upgrading their restaurant. This meant the hot plate was no longer needed, but what to do?

Throwing it away would be bad for the environment. It would need to be taken apart and dealt with in line with the appropriate regulations, which is often expensive. It would be much better to allow its life-cycle to continue since it is still in good working order.

So it was on offer to a good home through Giving World Online and ultimately donated to the Whitwick Coffee shop this July, giving it a new lease of life.

Whitwick Community Coffee Shop is a charity that works to combat social exclusion by running events and activities designed to bring people in the local community together, such as a lunch club each weekday. Here they serve home cooked meals to around 400 people per week, mostly young mums and the elderly.

They were really pleased to get the hot plate. It will allow them to serve the meals quickly and efficiently giving them more time to spend with people.

It’s great to see companies like Capital One being so keen to help the environment and the community. They were delighted by the opportunity to do both at once by giving a community group the support it needs whilst preventing items from going to landfill.