The first Kent Charity Awards are on course to be a huge success, with nominations for deserving causes flooding in from across the county.

The awards, backed by KM Group, aim to showcase the work of charities and voluntary groups and will culminate in a gala awards evening for 12 finalists in March 2015.The latest charities entered include: Share a Star
Share a Star is run by Jessica Taylor, from Cliffe Woods, who has been bed-bound for eight
years with ME. She helps other seriously ill children and teenagers across the UK by making them into special ‘stars’ to give
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS)
Kent Association for the BlindAs well as KM Group, the awards are sponsored by Furley Page, Kent County Council, Reeves Accountants, Medway Council, Mid Kent College, Southern Water, Diggerland and KentReliance.

them hope and special memories. There are many different parts to Share a Star from sending a box of gifts to children in hospital to supporting a family through palliative care. Share a Star is currently fundraising to start a project called ‘Oakley’s Outings’, which hopes to send children and teenagers on special trips with their families.

SOBS exists to meet the needs and break the isolation of those bereaved by suicide. They offer emotional support, help and information in a number of ways; telephone helpline, information, support group meetings, support days and residential events. Some people, who may be struggling with financial worries as well as their bereavement, could benefit if the charity gained exposure and addition funding enabling them to attend the extremely beneficial weekend retreats.

Kent Association for the blind was created after WWI to support returning soldiers who had lost their sight from the effects of mustard gas. Today there are over 11,500 people registered as blind or sight impaired in Kent and the association supports all of them, and many thousands more who are not registered, to live independent lives. The majority of the work the association does is on the ‘front line’, with rehabilitation workers assessing the needs of people and support them.

However, a large part of what they do is to raise awareness of the support that exists as well as promoting good eye health.

Rochester Bridge Trust

The Rochester Bridge Trust was founded in 1399 to provide crossings of the River Medway. Its commitment to this role has continued for 615 years and today the trust provides two major road bridges and a service bridge, free of charge, to the public. It has also supported other road crossings of the Medway from Tonbridge to the estuary and delivers engineering educations projects. The trust provides grant funding to other charities for education and
heritage building conservation.

Kent Search and Rescue

Kent Search and Rescue is a voluntary organisation which helps search for vulnerable missing people. They are called upon by Kent Police and last year attended 70+ call outs. They are also a member of the Kent voluntary emergency sector and as such get called out in times of need to local community and major incidents such as the flooding events.

Entering the awards is a great way for good causes to gain exposure, increase stakeholder funding and can also be great for staff morale.

If you think that your good cause deserves recognition fill in the entry form at www.kentcharityawards.com or at www.kmcharityteam.co.uk. If you are applying to be KMCharity of the Year you will automatically be entered into the Kent Charity Awards and vice-versa. This gives you two opportunities to have your good work recognised across the county.