Bath Building Society is to support city-based domestic abuse organisation Voices as its Charity of the Year until the end of June 2020.
Voices helps change lives through trauma-informed recovery services that recognise hat individuals and families have multiple needs after abuse.
The charity is led by women with lived experience of domestic abuse who have designed a holistic response. It consults and shares its knowledge and experience with researchers and policy makers to influence decisions that challenge domestic abuse – wherever it occurs.
Voices director Ursula Lindenberg said the charity was delighted to be chosen by Bath Building Society.
She added: “Having the support of Bath Building Society through the coming year is a huge boost for Voices and a much-appreciated opportunity to build community support for people impacted by domestic abuse who are working hard to rebuild their lives and those of their children.”
Eight other Bath charities and community groups will share £6,500 from the building society’s Annual Charity Awards scheme.
A further three organisations have received a pair of Bath Building Society hot air balloon tickets, which can be used to raise funds.
The awards were established in 2006 to support as many local initiatives as possible from the growing number of requests for support the society receives each week.
Last year’s winner was Bath City Farm, which has benefited from year-round fundraising support from the society’s employees.
Society chief executive Kevin Gray said: “The Awards are very important to us and are a way for the Society to ‘give something back’ to the local community. It is amazing the work some of these organisations do and the local people that they help on such little funding, I’m just glad we can help.
“I am really pleased how the number of applications continues to increase year on year and this year is no different. I’d like to thank the judges for spending their time to help choose the winners of our Awards. It was a tough competition, but we found our winners in the end.”
Bath Building Society was established in 1904 to offer savings, investments and mortgages to the local community and today services more than 10,000 savers. It has 1,200 mortgage customers and employs around 50 staff.
Full list of winners:
Bath Gateway Out & About – £1,500;
Moorland Road Community Library – £1,000
Bath Area Play Project, Bath – £1,000
Bath Hospital Radio – £1,000
The Friends of Wheels For All – £500
Keynsham & District Mencap – £500
Nova Sports & Coaching – £500
Arts Together – £500
Threeways School – a pair of Balloon Tickets
Bath Symphony – a pair of Balloon Tickets
The Woodworks Project – a pair of Balloon Tickets
Pictured: Bath Building Society CEO Kevin Gray and Mayor of Bath Councillor Gerry Curran with Voices director Ursula Lindenberg, second left, and Kirsten Melbourn at the Charity Awards presentation in the mayor’s parlour
