CHARITY
AWARD
Sponsored by
Billions Europe
WINNER:
FOOTPRINTS
IN THE
COMMUNITY
Ruth Fox admitted being lost for words
after receiving her award – and she says
that doesn’t happen very often!
Ruth is chief executive officer, founder
and the driving force behind Footprints
in the Community, which works to reduce
poverty and isolation in and around
Redcar.
“I’m blown away, absolutely
gobsmacked,” she said. “I’m so
privileged to be recognised, especially
among businesswomen, because I don’t
consider myself a businesswoman – I’m
just doing a little bit of good for people
in the community and I happen to be a
woman.
“It’s been a lovely night with a great
atmosphere and has brought us all
together and given us a boost.”
Footprints’ ten projects include a
community café, a food bank with eight
centres and the Next Step shop, enabling
former food bank users to get back on
their feet by buying subsidised groceries.
There is also a Street Angels initiative
to keep weekend revellers safe, the First
Steps scheme for families struggling
to provide essentials for their children,
dementia support group Reflections and
Lunch Box, which tackles holiday hunger.
“We have nine staff and more than
200 volunteers and we couldn’t do what
we do without them. They’re going to be
so proud.”
FINALIST: FINALIST:
MFC Foundation Five Lamps
MFC Foundation uses the power of
football to deliver services from bases
at the Riverside Stadium and at Eston.
Founded in 1996, the charity is affiliated
to the football club but stands as a
separate entity run by a board of
trustees. The foundation employs 63
staff, 35% of whom are female, which
is above average in this sector. Three-
quarters of the senior leadership team is
female, including Helena Bowman, one of
only 10 female heads of the 92 football
foundations. Around 20,000 women and
girls access MFCF’s services annually,
engaging with football, improving their
health and exploring work opportunities
in sport. Five Lamps provides a wide range of
services to more than 25,000 socially
and financially excluded people across
the North East and Yorkshire. Projects
include helping long-term unemployed
people back into work, providing training,
supporting enterprises, youth clubs,
refurbishing and letting empty properties,
providing affordable personal loans
and home help for older people. The
all-female senior management team is
made up of chief executive Lisa Pickard
and director of corporate services Nicola
Garrett. They share a vision to support
local communities and make the area a
great place to live and Five Lamps an
excellent place to work.
SPONSOR’S MESSAGE
Billions Europe general manager Fiona Macleod said:
“Choosing between such worthy charities was almost an
impossible task, they are all winners and we are hugely
grateful to them for the work they do.
“A team of three of us picked out the submissions that
impressed us most and then defended our choice until we
were unanimous.
“We shortlisted Five Lamps for tackling social isolation
in so many ways and MFC for engaging with refugees and
asylum seekers.
“We chose Footprints in the Community as our winner.
We were particularly impressed by their shed projects that
help people learn basic DIY skills, then progress to using
more complex woodworking tools, providing both practical
enjoyment and a great boost to self-esteem.”