Charities and community groups from across Bath are being urged to apply to Bath Building Society for funding and support under its annual charity awards.
Eight charities and community groups will share £6,500 under the scheme while a further three will receive a pair of Bath Building Society hot air balloon tickets – which they can use to raise funds. 
The charity awards were set up 13 years ago to support as many Bath initiatives as possible from the growing number of requests for support the society was receiving on an annual basis.
Under the awards scheme, one group becomes the society’s Charity of The Year. This year the holder of that title has been 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.”
Shortlisted entries are reviewed by a panel of judges including the Mayor of Bath and representatives from The Rotary Club, Bath, and Quartet Community Foundation alongside Bath Building Society staff.
As well as the City Farm, the 2018 awards also supported The Community Bus; Bath Area Play Project; Bath Foodcycle; PEOPLE; The Keep In Touch Club; Cerebral Palsy Plus, Bristol; Hop, Skip & Jump South West, Bristol; The Fluency Trust, Swindon; Caryford Community Hall and Bath MS Society.
Applications are invited throughout this month. To find out more about the entry criteria or to request an application form, contact Jo Gillow on jogillow@bibs.co.uk
Bath Building Society (BBS) 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.
