A Co Cork school, a youth theatre and a women's support organisation were this evening revealed as the inaugural winners of a competition seeking to encourage community involvement and volunteerism.
The Better Together Awards, held in Dublin, were the culmination of an online initiative set up by The Wheel, a national body representing 860 community and voluntary groups.
Charities, clubs and associations were asked to submit a short Youtube video in which they would show what their organisation did, the benefits of working together, and how to get involved. More then 200 organisations submitted videos to the campaign website, www.bettertogether.ie
Those with the most votes and highest ratings in a public vote were shortlisted and went before a judging panel.
The three winners, each of which received a €3,000 cash prize, were Blarney Community Council (volunteer organisations category), Dublin Youth Theatre (medium-sized organisations) and Longford Women's Link (larger organisations). The winning videos can be viewed at www.bettertogether.ie.
Commenting, Deirdre Garvey, chief executive of The Wheel, said: “These videos capture the energy, vibrancy and diversity of Ireland’s community and voluntary sector. They entertain, move and - above all - inspire.”
In a separate competition, the public nominated people who have gone to great lengths to support a good cause, and more than 40 nominations were received through a Facebook page. Mercy Fleming, a volunteer with Outreach Moldova, was named as Ireland’s Charity Hero of 2010.
The awards were hosted by RTÉ presenter Mary Kennedy, at the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin Castle, and the campaign was supported by the EBS Building Society.
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