The Waterford Community and Voluntary Awards are now in their 13th year. These awards recognise and reward the contribution made by the community & voluntary sector across Waterford. A total of 56 nominations were received this year. Congratulations to everyone and best wishes to the shortlisted groups and those nominated for the Billy McCarthy Individual Volunteer Award. A huge thanks has to go out to our independent panel of adjudicators who had an unenviable but a very rewarding task.
The winners and runners up will be announced at the gala ceremony on November 23rd in The Woodlands Hotel, Waterford where all nominated groups have been invited to attend. WLR's Oliver Carroll and Mary O’Neill will co-host the event.
The categories and sponsors for the 2017 awards are:
- Arts & Culture – Sponsored by BHP Insurances
- Community & Civic Pride – Sponsored by Local Link Waterford
- Community/Social Enterprise – Sponsored by Waterford Local Enterprise Office
- Pride of Place – Sponsored by Waterford City & County Council
- Healthy, Active & Youth – Sponsored by Glanbia
- Social Inclusion – Sponsored by Bus Éireann
New individual Award
The Billy McCarthy Award for Outstanding Work by an Individual in the Community – Sponsored by WLR. This award was introduced this year in memory of the late Billy McCarthy and is open to all ages.
Waterford City & County Mayors Award – Sponsored by Waterford City & County Council .
The winning group will be chosen from the 6 category winners and will go on to represent Waterford in the 2018 All Ireland Pride of Place Competition Brochure – The 2017 Brochure is kindly sponsored by Dungarvan Credit Union.
Presentation of Awards
The award winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on November 23rd in The Woodlands Hotel, Waterford and presented on the night by WLR's Oliver Carroll and Mary O’ Neill. Delegates from ALL nominated groups will be invited to attend the ceremony for sit down banquet.
About the Waterford PPN
Waterford Public Participation Network is a network of more than 550 community, voluntary, social inclusion and environmental organisations in the Waterford City & County area. The PPN replaced the Community Fora in 2014. It is the main link through which the Local Authority connects with the communities.
What is the aim of Waterford PPN?
The aim of Waterford PPN is to co-ordinate how the community is represented, make our members stronger; and keep our members informed about local developments.
What do we do?
We empower our member groups to influence policy makers. We do this through: electing representatives onto decision-making bodies; highlighting community issues through our Linkage Groups; making sure our members are consulted on local developments and strategies; and providing training to our members on topics such as lobbying and planning.
Who runs the PPN?
The Secretariat – They are a committee/board and are made up of 11 members from all over Waterford City & County. They are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day running of the PPN. They manage the staff, budget and operations, and report back to the plenary meeting.
