Locally based small charity Age Exchange has been announced as a Highly Commended winner of the national FSI Small Charity Big Impact Awards, among stiff competition from hundreds of other small charities.

Established in 1985, Age Exchange provides 700 hours of activities for older people a year to improve health and wellbeing.

Pauline Broomhead CBE, CEO of the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI), the charity behind the Small Charity Big Impact Awards said:

“Small charities do amazing work, often having an impact far beyond their size, yet they often don’t receive the recognition and celebration they deserve. We are thrilled to award Age Exchange this prize and congratulate them on their amazing work.”

Chief executive Rebecca Packwood said: “We are delighted to have the hard work of staff, volunteers and carers recognised. More than 100 volunteers help us every week showing what a huge difference local people can make to a community.”

In addition to winning the 2019 award, the organisation will also benefit from a short film produced to help promote the charity's work, an impact.

“Without the tireless hard work of small charities and community groups, many people in the UK would be considerably worse off,” said Zoe Darrah, Marketing Co-ordinator at Policy Bee, the sponsors of the awards. “As most of these organisations don’t get anything like the recognition they deserve, a glittering awards ceremony that sings their praises can only be a good thing. If it were up to us, they’d all get a prize – as it is we’re just pleased to support this good cause for good causes.”

 The FSI Small Charity Big Impact Awards are a way to highlight the work of small charities (those with a turnover under £1 million) and the impact they make on a local, national and international level.

Age Exchange has won the award for the £500K – £1 million annual turnover category.

About The FSI

The FSI, Charity Number 1123384, supports the UK’s vibrant small charity sector with training, advocacy and support programmes aimed at building sustainability and knowledge-sharing. Charities with an annual turnover under £1 million can access free and very heavily subsidised capacity-building services that encompass a full range of fundraising and back-office operations www.thefsi.org

The Small Charity Big Impact Awards 

The Small Charity Week Big Impact Awards were launched in April 2017 to celebrate the impact of small charities and community organisations across the UK. The judging panel included:

• Pauline Broomhead, CEO of the FSI
• Ben Carpenter, Operations Manager, Social Value UK
• Noorzaman Rashid, Managing Director for Strategies for Change
• Geoff Russell-Jones, Grants Manager at The Leathersellers’ Company
• Rachel Rose, Head of Talent & Leadership, Fujitsu

The FSI Small Charity Big Impact Awards are sponsored by Policy Bee with venue support from Cazenove.