BBC Bristol's Make A Difference Awards!

As many of you may have seen, back in June we were selected as a finalist for the BBC Bristol Make A Difference Awards. Nominated by our staff member Lara, we were one of four finalists for the Community Group Award, which recognises organisations who help change the lives of others in their community. We were delighted to be chosen!

Filming at BBC Bristol

As finalists, we were invited to interview and film at BBC Bristol to tell our story. We were interviewed by the BBC's Adam Crowther, and Doro had the chance to tell the story of the charity and how it supports our community. Attia then explained the impact the centre has had on her from a member's perspective. Both gave an excellent interview and explained clearly how the Brightwell supports its community.

The Awards Ceremony

The ceremony took place last Thursday evening at the Playhouse Theatre in Weston-super-Mare. We had a great Brightwell turnout, including our Chair of Trustees, Geoff; staff members Lara, Victoria and Amrik; and members Attia, Gus and Mike. We were joined by Andrew (Attia's husband), Denise (Geoff's wife) and Mollie, a long time Brightwell supporter.

On arrival, we had a professional photo taken as a group, which was a nice way to start the evening. The night was hosted by BBC Bristol's own Joe Sims and Claire Carter, who kept things running smoothly. There was also ice cream handed out at the interval, which went down very well! Every finalist was so deserving, and it was great to meet them and hear about the important work people are doing across Bristol.

The Result

Our award was judged by Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Janette Manrara, who spoke about the work of all the finalists. In the end, we didn't win our category. However the winners, Operation Community Hamper, were extremely deserving, and we're so pleased for them. Their work supporting vulnerable families in our community is so important, now more than ever.

That said, we didn't go home empty-handed. We were presented with a beautiful award recognising The Brightwell as Highly Commended, which we're very proud of and will be displaying at the centre. Being recognised alongside so many incredible groups was a nice reminder that the work we do makes a difference.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who came along on the night, and to all our members, staff, volunteers and supporters. It's your involvement that makes The Brightwell what it is. And who knows, maybe we'll be back again sometime in the future!