Britain Has Spirit, a new initiative searching for Britain’s best volunteers has today announced Central England’s shortlist for both individual and group nominations now ready for the public vote. This crucial next stage in the campaign will rely on the public to choose their most deserving volunteer heroes and cast their vote across 10 British regions. Central England’s winner of ‘Regional Community Initiative of the Year’ and ‘Regional Community Hero of the Year’, will each be awarded with fantastic prizes including a fun experience day and £1,000 towards a street party. Winners will then automatically be put into the national Britain Has Spirit vote where the two national winners will be awarded £25,000 each towards a local good cause.
The campaign was launched in response to research by Together Mutual Insurance, which highlighted the lack of community spirit across the nation. In particular, 49% of respondents in Central England admit they have never volunteered1. Chris McElligott, director at Together Mutual Insurance states, “Celebrating local heroes who give up their precious spare time to help others, is a great way to encourage others by highlighting the great work volunteers do up and down the country every day."
The campaign, fronted by TV favourite Gabby Logan will culminate in a glitzy awards ceremony later in the year where the two national winners will be announced. Gabby Logan adds, “The public have a very important job to do. Central England has some incredible volunteer groups and standout individuals, all of whom, worthy winners. However there can only be one winner per category per region – so it’s incredibly important you vote for your favourite and get them one step further to the national prize of £25,000. Think of the difference £25,000 could make to a small or modest community project!”
