The winners of the first Berkeley Foundation Awards have been announced in a ceremony attended by many of the fantastic charities supported by the Foundation.
The awards celebrate the contributions that Berkeley staff and suppliers make to the Foundation, and to their local communities.
Rob Perrins, Chairman of the Foundation, revealed a new film at the event, which showcases the brilliant causes supported by Berkeley's fundraising and volunteering efforts.
Award winners are listed below, all of whom received a £1,000 donation from the Berkeley Foundation to a charity of their choice.
Best Individual Commitment to Fundraising
Megan Hodges, Berkeley Homes Eastern Counties
Megan showed a commendable level of commitment to raising money for partner charity ellenor, both in her role as a Foundation Rep and by personally undertaking a series of major physical challenges. She recently completed the London Marathon, which has seen her raise more than £4,000. Her colleagues have been so inspired by her dedication that they have set up a Berkeley Homes Eastern Counties running club.
Megan nominated ellenor to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Business-Commitment-to-Fundraising
St George
St George staff stood out for the way they have transformed their fundraising over the last year, from two major events each year to a multitude of events that all staff can get involved in. In the last year alone they participated in 30 different events, ranging from cake sales to bike rides to hikes to rugby tournaments. Fundraising directly from staff teams equated to 48% of funds raised in the year, a dramatic increase on 19% in the previous year.
St George nominated SPEAR and Honeypot Children's Charity to receive donations of £500 each.
Berkeley Foundation, Individual-Commitment-to-Volunteering
Theresa Crampsie, Berkeley St Edward
Over the last five years Theresa has gone above and beyond to make a real difference for the charities she has been involved with. Her can-do attitude was clear to the judges. Highlights from her entry include staying up until 1am wrapping presents to deliver to children at Bexley SNAP for Christmas, volunteering at a water station for a charity run in the pouring rain, and establishing a successful annual boxing tournament.
Theresa nominated Evelina to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Business-Commitment-to-Volunteering
Berkeley Homes North East London
With staff giving over 622 volunteering hours to Providence Row over the last three years, Berkeley Homes North East London won this award in recognition of the depth and breadth of their volunteering programme. One third of the business got involved in volunteering, through activities such as English lessons, art classes, painting and decorating, gardening and helping with the lunch service. It is clear that the team have put the same level of effort into their volunteering programme as they have their fundraising event.
Berkeley Homes North East London nominated Home-Start London to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Supply-Chain
Landmark Civil Engineering Ltd
Landmark has been a keen and active supporter of the Foundation since its inception in 2011 and has gone the extra mile to support the Foundation in the last year. They work with five different Berkeley businesses and consistently take part in events organised by each one. As well as making significant fundraising contributions, the Landmark team have also made in-kind donations of machines and labour in support of the Foundation's partner charities.
Landmark nominated Hope for Southall Street Homeless to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Charity-Partnership
Berkeley Homes West Thames and Hope for Southall Street Homeless
The Berkeley Homes West Thames team's partnership with Hope for Southall Street Homeless has helped to tackle a significant local need. The partnership is having a clear, measurable impact: the money raised by Berkeley staff has funded a Complex Needs Caseworker, who is currently supporting 15 individuals. The team also supports the charity to develop new networks and partnerships and has encouraged staff to donate clothing at on-site collection points.
Berkeley Homes West Thames nominated Hope for Southall Street Homeless to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Most-Inspiring-Berkeley-Foundation
Liz Pickston-Bartlett, Berkeley Homes Western
Liz's dedication and passion stood out to the judges. She is a real leader of Foundation activities within her business: from organising baking competitions and clay pigeon shoots to mentoring and sleeping outdoors to raise awareness of homelessness, she leads by example and gets people involved through her consistent and infectious enthusiasm for making a difference.
Liz nominated Alexander Devine to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Innovation-Award
Employer Supported Volunteering days, Berkeley Homes East Thames
Berkeley Homes East Thames is the first Berkeley operating business to implement Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) days. They allow staff one paid day per year to get out into the community and support causes they are passionate about - in addition to any time taken to support the Foundation and their local partner charity Demelza. In 2018, 42 volunteers to part. They planted trees with the London Wildlife Trust, did gardening works for Demelza, volunteered as relief workers and much more.
Berkeley Homes East Thames nominated Demelza to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Payroll-Giving-Award
Berkeley Homes East Thames
The payroll giving scheme is a brilliant, straightforward way to donate money through your monthly paycheck, which gives charities a stable and reliable income. Across Berkeley Group, more than 30% of staff are signed up. Berkeley Homes East Thames has an impressive 53% of its staff enrolled on the scheme - the highest of any Berkeley business.
Berkeley Homes East Thames nominated Demelza to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Outstanding-contribution
Fahd Abu Aisha, Berkeley Group
Fahd is the first colleague from Berkeley's Dubai office to get involved with the Foundation and has done an incredible job of raising the Foundation's profile overseas. In a truly outstanding feat, he has raised more than £5,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Trials Collaboration by summiting some of the highest and most remote mountains in the world. He described attempting the Triple Crown in Ecuador as one of the most challenging but fulfilling experiences of his life.
Fahd nominated the Multiple Sclerosis Trials Collaboration to receive a donation of £1,000.
Berkeley Foundation, Judges-Award
Fionna McDermott, Berkeley Homes North East London
Fionna was nominated across several different categories, with all entries highlighting her unswerving commitment and infectious enthusiasm for supporting the Foundation at all levels of its work. Fionna has been a Berkeley Foundation Representative since 2016, and since then has embarked on a campaign to reenergize and motivate her colleagues to get involved. Berkeley Homes North East London is now one of the highest fundraising Berkeley divisions annually. Fionna continuously volunteers her own time, and has taken part in and organised a huge number of successful events, including bake offs, golf days, cycle rides and sports days. This award is testament to her success.
Fionna nominated Home-Start London to receive a donation of £1,000.
Thank you to all who entered the Berkeley Foundation Awards 2019, and huge congratulations to the winners!
For more information on the Foundation or the awards please contact emma.lidefjard@berkeleygroup.co.uk