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GLAXOSMITHKLINE AWARDS £300,000 TO COMMUNITY HEALTH CHARITIES IN RECOGNITION OF THEIR WORK

Twenty charities were last night rewarded for their community-based work, with awards totaling £300,000 at the annual GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards, run in conjunction with the independent health charity, the King’s Fund.

Women’s Work, this year’s overall winner, received £35,000 to further their work supporting vulnerable women involved in substance misuse and street sex work in Derby. Dionne Reid, Project Manager at Women’s Work, said: “It’s fantastic to win this award. In December we nearly ran out of funds. Winning the GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Award will help us continue our work and extend beyond the 300 women we have already reached since we set the charity up five years ago.”

The GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards recognise the work of small to medium-sized charities in improving the health of people in their local communities. Over the last eleven years GlaxoSmithKline has given awards totaling over £2 million to 220 community healthcare charities across the UK . This year, awards of £25,000 were given to ten winning ten charities, £5,000 to the five highly commended charities and £3,000 for the five runners-up. The funding is unrestricted which means the charities are able to spend the money as they choose. The overall winner Women’s Work received an extra £10,000 giving them £35,000 in total.

Helping to present this year’s awards was Sir Christopher Gent, Chairman of GlaxoSmithKline. Commenting on the ceremony he said: “GlaxoSmithKline has a long history of supporting local charities working to increase the health of their communities. The GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards recognise and support the excellent work of smaller organisations that often suffer from lack of resources, money and recognition. This year’s winning charities have all worked assiduously in helping the health of local people dealing with a wide spectrum of diseases and social conditions. We hope the GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards will help raise awareness of the excellent work these charities are doing, and the importance of such organisations in ensuring the good health of people across the UK.”

Dionne Reid, Project Manager at Women’s Work, said: “We are thrilled to be the overall winner of the GlaxoSmithKline IMPACT Awards. This Award brings untold benefits to Women’s Work. It gives us national recognition for the work we do in a difficult and stigmatised section of society, and it provides us with a large sum of money that will enable us to carry on helping women move away from sex work and establish themselves in stable and fulfilling lives.”

Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the King’s Fund, described the overall winner as an outstanding organisation that is tackling a difficult problem in an imaginative way. He said: “This is an exceptional organisation with dedicated staff and volunteers who reach out to provide support and information to an exceptionally vulnerable group of women, many of whom have complex and serious health problems. The support of local residents and the police, as well as the women themselves is testament to the quality and effectiveness of its work.”

The ten winning charities work across a wide range of health-related issues, from support for families coping with a rare medical condition to mental health work in the community, all showing an impressive commitment to providing quality care in the communities they serve. In addition to Women’s Work, these were:

• Autism Northern Ireland provides support and information to families and those living with autism. Based in Belfast, it runs parent training workshops, local support groups and accredited training for professionals.

• C-Level in Glasgow works with people affected by Hepatitis C to help improve their quality of life and correct misinformation and myths. Principal activities include the provision of information, advice, complementary therapies, testing, outreach development and peer support services.

• Crew 2000 in Edinburgh works to reduce drug related harm in young people across Scotland. Main activities include the running of a drop-in centre where young people can pick up information on drugs and sexual health, and it also creates a ‘chill-out’ space for drug users at festivals, raves and clubs where staff and volunteers provide advice.

• Fragile X in Essex is a national charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for those affected by Fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition. It advances public education and promotes research into the syndrome, and also provides family support, a 24-hour helpline, and holds conferences and presentations.

• Genetic Interest Group based in London works to improve public understanding of genetic issues and provides services to those affected by genetic disorders.

• Lymphoedema Support Network is a national charity based in South London. It provides information and support to people with lymphoedema through the provision of a telephone helpline, newsletters, fact sheets and self-help resources. In addition, it works to raise awareness of the condition and campaigns for better national standards of care.

• Merseyside Diabetes Support Group in Liverpool provides a range of support to diabetes sufferers including a helpline, publications and monthly meetings.

• N-Compass, an advocacy service based in Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire, working with people suffering from learning disabilities and mental health problems. It runs a number of carers’ support project, a social inclusion programme, and a project supporting young women who self-harm.

• Parc (Essex) based in Chelmsford provides support services to disabled children and their families.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline’s community investments were valued at £282 million (the equivalent to almost 4% of pre-tax profits) and targeted health and education programmes in almost 100 countries. GlaxoSmithKline is one off the largest charitable givers in the FTSE 100 .

For more information please visit: www.gsk.com/community

About the King’s Fund

The King’s Fund is an independent charitable foundation working for better health, especially in London. It carries out research, policy analysis and development activities, working on its own, in partnerships, and through funding. It is a major resource to people working in health, offering leadership development programmes; seminars and workshops; publications; information and library services; and conference and meeting facilities.

For more information please visit: http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/