Five charities win €10,000 each for community impact

Five health charities will receive a prize of €10,000 each in recognition of the impact they have made in their communities.

The GSK Ireland Impact awards, which are in their second year, were created to reward small community-based charities that help improve people's health and wellbeing.

Nurture, the Traveller Counselling Service, the Dyslexia Association of Ireland, Sensational Kids and Anam Cara were this year's winners.

They received their awards at Dublin Castle on Thursday night.

The goal of the awards is to acknowledge the “real difference” the charities are making to people’s lives across Ireland.

This year’s winners were considered to be an “inspirational mix of healthcare heroes”.

Deirdre Garvey, a member of the judging panel and chief executive of charity support network The Wheel, said community charities were uniquely positioned to identify issues that influence people's wellbeing and to implement solutions.

Winning charities

Nurture, a national organisation, provides counselling and support around pregnancy, childbirth and maternal mental health illnesses for women, men and families.

The Traveller Counselling Service, which was launched in 2008, is an independent group for Travellers in the greater Dublin area.

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland was recognised for its work helping people with the learning difficulty and their families, and for raising awareness of the condition.

Kildare-based charity Sensational Kids was rewarded for providing accessible and affordable developmental and educational services for children with special needs.

Anam Cara provides support services to bereaved parents and families.

Roger Connor, president of global manufacturing and supply at GSK, said the pharmaceutical company was proud to support the "unsung heroes" in communities.