Voting is now closed. Winners will be announced at our AGM and Annual Conference - Wednesday 2 November 2016.

Helen Ball | Marion Baynes | Bob Fisher | Becky Gilbert | Peter Kellett | Ruth Pickersgill

Helen Ball – North Bristol Advice Centre
1) Why should this individual win the award?
Helen has worked all her life to champion equality and fight for social justice. When she retired from Bristol City Council she immediately looked to get involved with a voluntary sector organisation committed to these values. Since she joined the organisation in 2011 she has worked tirelessly to ensure the organisation is effective and is very keen to involve all the staff and volunteers in the development and direction of the organisation. She has also been committed to ensure that the role of volunteers within the organisation is appreciated and valued. She has provided essential 1:1 support to the CEO and has a complete understanding of the organisations structure and funders requirements. She is not afraid to deal with difficult situations in a calm and measured manner. Helen is also a School Governor for an inner city school and gives her time, skills and dedication to this role. I strongly believe her hard commitment and dedication deserves to be recognised.

2) What significant contribution have they made to the strategic development or direction of the organisation?
Helen has effectively chaired the organisation since 2012 and has led the organisation through some major challenges (including restructuring of the staff team) and opportunities including the development and implementation of establishing a new Social Enterprise for NBAC.  She has successfully designed and driven the organisations Business Plans that she developed with fellow trustees, staff and volunteers. She monitors progress and ensures the organisation delivers its service and is accountable to funders. She has overseen NBAC taking on a Social Enterprise (Buzz Lockleaze) and is a Director of this Company which has been a major strategic development for the organisation. Above all she keeps the service user at the front of every decision the organisation makes and maintains a commitment to social inclusion and social justice.

3) How have they been a good ambassador for the organisation?
Helen has embraced the organisation values of justice, community ,expertise, respect and integrity and Inclusion and is proud to be part of the organisation.  She encourages fellow board members to develop their skills and take up training opportunities and will actively promote the services. She is always looking for opportunities that will enhance the organisations core services and is committed to providing a complete service to the clients.

4) Tell us about how they have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected of them in their role
Helen has taken time to get to know the staff and volunteers and will give freely of her time to the organisation over and above the monthly board meetings. She continues to proved support to the CEO and she has worked tirelessly to see that Buzz Lockleaze is given every opportunity to thrive.

Marion Baynes - Southmead Development Trust
1) Why should this individual win the award?
Marion Baynes exemplifies what it means to be a good trustee should be – offering passion about the cause, connecting the charity to other groups and projects, giving expertise to particular project whilst also being able to take a step back and offer strategic oversight. Marion takes on responsibilities around human resources and gives direct supervisions to the Chief Executive and Operations Manager which has been crucial as the staff team as doubled in the past financial year. She helps focus specific projects around youth and health and wellbeing, challenging staff to come up with creative and local solutions to the issues faced in Southmead. As a resident and worker in the local area for over 30 years, Marion is still willing and able to get involved on the frontline volunteering at the Southmead Festival and in our Community Café.

2) What significant contribution have they made to the strategic development or direction of the organisation?
Marion has helped develop significant projects at Southmead Development Trust which not only tie us in with the strategic direction of the city but also the direction as laid down by Southmead residents in the Community Plan.  An area Marion has had a significant personal impact has been the Health and Wellbeing Team. With the Health and Wellbeing Team, Marion has championed our social prescribing service and helped organise steering group meetings with councillors, local GPs and other SDT staff ensuring the service is developed in partnership. She has supported and advocated on behalf of the CPCE project tendered by Bristol Ageing Better that offers the opportunity for the community to take care of older people. Her support of these ambitious projects has steered the organisation to considering new ways to deliver outcomes for our residents.

3) How have they been a good ambassador for the organisation?
In connecting with local GP surgeries and public health workers, Marion has been an excellent ambassador for the organisation; showing partners how the community of Southmead and SDT can deliver with its local focus and resident involvement. Behind the scenes, Marion has been an excellent ambassador for SDT’s Youth team and the young people of Southmead more generally. She has supported and advocated for our involvement in Bristol Youth Links, a city wide partnership around delivering youth work. Marion’s ability to represent SDT at meetings with external partners and on city wide initiatives has been crucial in the past year, however equally important has been her willingness to be an ambassador locally – helping SDT make partnerships with community groups and charities who work locally bringing us all under the banner of the community plan.

4) Tell us about how they have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected of them in their role
As mentioned above, Marion has gone above and beyond in offering supervision and advice in a HR context for senior staff. Southmead Development Trust has had an exciting year and taken on greater numbers of staff to deliver a wider number of projects but this rapid expansion could have been dangerous without Marion being able to support the CE and Ops manager in hiring and managing staff as well as ensuring they were coping with new workloads. By going above and beyond in this way, Marion is approachable and visible to all staff at Southmead Development Trust and always asks after how our work and how we are going. Marion also wants to be close to the organisations work, mucking in with the rest of the community volunteers to put on the Southmead Community Festival and in our community café.

Bob Fisher - Knowle West Media Centre
1) Why should this individual win the award?
Bob Fisher is an inspiration to us all. He is a Knowle West resident who has devoted much of his life to supporting disability sport and volunteering as an official at the Paralympics. He became a trustee of Knowle West Media Centre in 2012 and has been an invaluable asset to us ever since. Bob is always happy to give his time to help us.  He often pops in to see what we are up to and involves himself wholeheartedly in everything KWMC does. He is a friendly and familiar face for staff and participants alike and everyone knows Bob is one of our trustees.

2) What significant contribution have they made to the strategic development or direction of the organisation?
Bob has spent over half his life as a volunteer and coach. This, alongside his professional career managing sports centres, means he brings an enormous depth and breadth of knowledge to KWMC’s Board of Trustees.
Bob has a real belief in the power of individuals to change their lives and those of others in their community.  Being born and bred in Knowle West, Bob brings a personal history and local perspective to all the projects and activities KWMC does with the community. Having Bob on the Board of Trustees gives us a valuable insight into the local context of our work.
Bob is naturally interested and curious about people regardless of age and background and about all issues and media and technology. Bob has the capacity to see the bigger picture whilst at the same time is very grounded in practicalities and is never afraid to question our practice.

3) How have they been a good ambassador for the organisation?
We always hear of Bob singing our praises, not only talking about us to Knowle West residents, but telling people across the city how and when they can get involved in the different projects and activities happening at KWMC. Whenever we have events Bob will take flyers around to all of his friends and organise to bring people over, as well as attending as many events as he can.  It’s great to have a trustee who is so actively involved in our work and who, without prompt, spreads the word about what we are doing.

4) Tell us about how they have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected of them in their role
As well as his advisory work as a trustee of KWMC and his support in promoting our work, Bob gets actively involved in delivering projects here.  He is a member of the advisory group for the SPHERE project, which meets to inform the planning of the health and technology project, in partnership with University of Bristol. A former lightweight boxer, Bob also helped to coordinate the meetings of the Sporting Memories network, which took place every week over several years at KWMC.  He invited his contacts to come along and attended each week, picking people up on the way. Bob gives his time generously to the community of Knowle West by being actively involved in many organisations across the neighbourhood.

Becky Gilbert – Baby Bank Network
1) Why should this individual win the award?
Becky has played a pivotal role in Baby Bank Network’s success since creating the project a year ago with another founder, after discovering they had a shared vision to help families at a time of need whilst also promoting a sustainable living society. She spent her maternity leave setting up this charity, frequently putting in 30+ hours a week. Since returning to work she continues to devote a substantial amount of time, on top of her paid job and family life with two young children. The organisation has thrived because of her energy, skill, hard work and determination. Feedback has shown how Becky’s vision is making a change in the community and inspiring others in the process.

2) What significant contribution have they made to the strategic development or direction of the organisation?
Becky continues to help out in all areas of the charity and is agile and quick thinking when it comes to problem solving and developing the charity. Working tirelessly to ensure funding growth, Becky has been instrumental in growing the Baby Bank from a small venture, to a thriving local charity that now helps one family a day in Bristol. And there are plans to grow even further.  Becky continues to exhibit exceptional leadership in shaping and developing how the charity progresses, ensuring that Baby Bank continues to grow to meet the needs of local families. As a small but growing organisation she ensures the charity has developed a strong structure with agile governance procedures, seeking the advice from others and looking to follow best practice within the industry. Her vision is ambitious but achievable and she brings the rest of the volunteer team with her.

3) How have they been a good ambassador for the organisation?
Becky is always happy, friendly and helpful and is the heart and soul of Baby Bank. She is dedicated to the cause and uses opportunities for networking to advance the charity and share its vision. She is passionate about helping local families and this shines through with her work. She is inspirational to the rest of the volunteer team and feedback from referral partners is proving the positive impact on living environments whilst helping reduce financial and emotional burdens.

4) Tell us about how they have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected of them in their role
Becky is more than a trustee to the Baby Bank Network. She brings the day to day running of the operations into her life, supporting the team wherever possible. She has gone over and above her duties as a trustee. Not only does she advise and contribute to the development of the organisation, she is fully involved operationally, learning new skills (website development and management) to ensure effective running. She does all this with an open mind and loads of passion.

Peter Kellett – St Werburghs City Farm
1) Why should this individual win the award?
Pete is a local resident, a husband and father of three, and someone with a busy job, weighted with responsibility, that regularly takes him across the country. Yet Pete openly believes in giving to and within his community. From an event volunteer, to Company Secretary to Chair, Pete has played a significant role in steering the Farm through a period of significant change. He ensures that our beneficiaries are at the heart of our development and our staff are valued for their contribution. Despite juggling so much, he always has time to talk. This is Pete's last year as chair of the organisation. We have nominated him as we want to him to know how much we appreciate his contribution - we simply would not be where we are today if it were not for his support and strive.

2) What significant contribution have they made to the strategic development or direction of the organisation?
During Pete's time as chair, the Farm's strategic management has transformed. With his guidance, we now operate using a 3 year strategy and annual operational plans which ensures our work is focused and measurable. We have amended our Memorandum and Articles of Association to ensure they are current and updated our Vision, Aims and Objectives, to ensure they convey the importance of our community work and management of 4 sites.  We have undertaken a full community consultation to guide our strategy, launched a staff satisfaction measure, increased our generated income margins working towards a resilient future and taken on the management of an additional site. Most notably, we achieved a 15 year ambition of developing fit-for-purpose education, training and community facilities which creates the space for the Farm to grow.   This success can be directly linked to Pete's drive, support and focus.

3) How have they been a good ambassador for the organisation?
Pete loves talking about the Farm. He is openly proud of what the Farm does, what we achieve and who we benefit. As a father, a local resident and a colleague, Pete has introduced a range of people to the Farm, and he always ensures that they leave knowing the full extent of our work and our impact. On the train, in the park, at a network meeting, or at the Farm Summer Fair - Pete will cease any opportunity to share news about the Farm.

4) Tell us about how they have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected of them in their role
Pete will always make time within his schedule if a member of staff or a fellow trustee asks for support. Where other people take a lunch break, Pete will interview potential trustees, deliver structured supervision sessions with the Director and read and amend policies. He is also not afraid of getting his hands dirty - from helping on the hot BBQ at May Day celebrations, shadowing project staff working with adults with learning disabilities on the Farm to raising funds by running the 10k. On top of this Pete cycles everywhere and has amazing garden full of tasty produce. Pete is an inspiration to fellow trustees, respected by staff and liked by beneficiaries.  This is our last year with Peter on board. The next organisation that gets to work with him will be a truly lucky organisation.

Ruth Pickersgill - Bristol Refugee Rights
1) Why should this individual win the award?
Ruth is an amazing chair of BRR's trustees and has tirelessly worked to support our work and champion the needs and rights of our refugee and asylum seeking members. She is endlessly energetic, enthusiastic and efficient, putting in many hours each week not only in her chair role, but also to support sub groups, recruit and train staff and work with volunteers.

2) What significant contribution have they made to the strategic development or direction of the organisation?
Ruth has championed the strategic direction of the organisation, helping us move from financial crisis two years ago to our present healthy growth.  She always gives thoughtful strategic support around our direction and future, such as helping to develop our highly professional crèche, facilitating the whole sector treatment of unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and reviewing our core roles. Ruth has particularly excelled in getting political engagement and action on the top issues affecting asylum seekers and refugees.

3) How have they been a good ambassador for the organisation?
Ruth has been an amazing ambassador for us, always focusing on the needs and contribution of our refugee members, giving informed, right-based information at public events, and always using her influence (and occasionally mentioning her MBE when needed!).  Ruth has never separated her personal life from her role as trustee.  She has used every opportunity to raise our profile or funds.  She has run, prompted and spoken at countless fundraising events for BRR, and always has our refugee members in mind when she attends other work-related meetings.

4) Tell us about how they have gone above and beyond what would normally be expected of them in their role
Ruth has consistently exceeded our expectation of a chair of trustees and regularly goes above and beyond her role.  She uses every opportunity to support the organisation, always looking for ways we can increase our reach and influence.  Ruth puts in more hours than most chairs - often working 10 hours or more each week.  She uses her impressive experience to put on free, professional training for staff, such as in child protection, and is happy to attend team meetings, staff social events and help with setting up public events such as our AGM or annual human rights day.  Ruth works at many levels and is happy to take a shift talking to the public at our stall on Refugee Week, or write letters to MPs and other influential people about changes that are needed.

The winner of this award will be decided by public vote - click here to cast your vote