Launchpad has won a prestigious award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Community’. The award was presented at the annual Thames Valley Business and Community Award ceremony, which saw over 320 nominees gather to celebrate the region’s most inspirational businesses, charities and individuals.
Launchpad beat stiff competition with 12 other organisations in the running for the award, including the Berkshire Community Foundation and Building Futures Together, who all attended the ceremony at The Hilton, Reading on Thursday 31 January 2019.
Ian Caren, Launchpad’s Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this outstanding award. To say our competition was tough is an understatement and all truly deserved to win this recognition.
“At Launchpad, we work so closely with the Reading community and without them, we would have nothing. People, businesses and organisations in the town all come together to help us achieve our aim of giving everyone the chance to have their own home, to feel safe and secure and provide them with the tools to rebuild their lives. I’d like to thank everyone who has helped to make Launchpad what it is today.”
Launchpad was founded in 1979 by students from Reading University who were concerned by the number of rough sleepers in the town and started life as one of the town’s first soup kitchens.
The charity has developed over the years and now has the ability to house 100 people who are homeless and provide each with a tailored support plan to identify their needs and work with them to achieve their goals, by teaching them new skills or learning new hobbies, helping them to gain
employment and ultimately find accommodation of their own which they can call home.
It also provides support by helping people with things like setting up benefits, issues with landlords, hoarding or domestic violence. The charity also has a drop-in service for anyone in Reading who needs housing or homelessness-related advice. Launchpad now helps around 1,200 people every year.
Christina Briggs, CEO of International Alliance was part of the judging panel and said: “Judging this year’s awards was tough. Every entry was of a very high standard and each one was unique which made the decision harder.”
Alec Jones-hall, Director of Thames Valley Business and Community Award’s said “We are proud and excited to have celebrated tonight the very best outstanding achievement across the region and rewarding those who are making a huge impact throughout the Thames Valley. We have seen the business community come together, not only to celebrate the accomplishments of those shortlisted and the deserving winners of each category, but also to mark the fact that we all continue to play a vital role in the success of our region and that its future achievements will be built on the foundations we have laid today.”
