AN environmental charity which offers disadvantaged people in North Wales volunteering opportunities, has won two national awards.

Groundwork North Wales, which works to improve social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing, was awarded the prize for Environmental Social Enterprise, while its CEO scooped the Women in Social Business award at the 2022 Social Business Wales Awards.

Groundwork, based in Wrexham, provides disadvantaged groups in North Wales with a range of projects and volunteering opportunities including community clean ups that help build young people’s confidence, skills and qualifications as well as improving community spaces.

Winners at the Social Business Wales Awards.

Winners at the Social Business Wales Awards.

The organisation’s projects have a strong environmental focus and last year 2,157 people engaged on projects to improve and conserve local green spaces, including tree planting, community clean-ups and up-cycling workshops. The organisation also launched a new re-use centre in Buckley and a community fridge in Flint where people can share their surplus food with others.

Karen Balmer, CEO of Groundwork North Wales, has overseen the organisation’s transformation from a grant-funded charity to a commercially-savvy social enterprise which has secured a top 100 status in the SE100 - an annual listing of the UK’s top 100 social enterprises - for three years running.

Emma Ellis, group funding coordinator, said of Karen: “She has developed and empowered staff both through the example she sets and in the mentoring that she provides.

“Women are strongly represented in our senior team and their increasing passion to deliver and develop is a source of great pride. Karen’s passion about equity and diversity drives an inclusive culture throughout the organisation.”

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Speaking about the organisation’s environmental impact, she said: “The natural environment is the golden thread through all of our work. Establishing sustainable lifestyles, protecting natural resources and reducing pollution and waste form part of our environmental wellbeing projects.

“We help provide the resources to encourage simple everyday actions that people can take to make a real difference to their local community.”

The 2022 Social Business Wales Awards marked the ninth year of the awards ceremony, which was a live in person event for the first time since 2019. Groundwork North Wales will now go on to represent Wales at the Social Enterprise UK Awards in held in London in December.

The awards are part of the Social Business Wales programme delivered by Cwmpas, a development agency for economic and social change, and funded by the European Regional Development Fund through Welsh Government.

Glenn Bowen, director of enterprise at Cwmpas, said: “Social enterprises embedded within their communities provide much needed support, services and jobs.

“We have brilliant examples of businesses doing their bit to reduce the impact of climate change and reaching out to new members of the community through their equity, diversity and inclusion work. Congratulations to all our wonderful winners.”

• The Social Business Wales Awards 2022 categories are sponsored by Ecology Building Society, Legal and General, Creating Enterprise, Acuity Law, NatWest, Triodos, Choose 2 Reuse, University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD), BIC Innovation and Great Western Railway.