The 1V Awards Dinner, sponsored by Together Housing and Newground Together, and supported by Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, has completed it’s stunning line-up of award sponsors. The organisations represent some of the biggest names in Blackburn with Darwen and beyond for the eight awards.

The 1V Awards Dinner is organised by charity One Voice Blackburn. The awards aim to create cohesive, aspirational and confident communities in Blackburn with Darwen. This year will see organisations across the Borough sponsoring awards in the following categories. The Aya Hachem Young Person of the Year award, 1V Group, 1V Man, The 1V Woman of the Year, The 1V Health Award, and new for 2024 The 1V Apprentice of the Year.

The John Roberts Outstanding Achievement Award 2023 is sponsored by Let’s Foster and the Leader’s Award 2023 is sponsored by Blackburn with Darwen Council. 

Let’s Foster are a children’s foster service in Blackburn with Darwen who help to recruit foster carers for the most venerable children in the area. Regional Marketing Executive Mike Dixon said, “Let’s Foster for Blackburn with Darwen is currently looking for people and families who can foster teenagers and siblings. We also need people who can take children at short notice and children on a long term basis. There is a national shortage of foster carers in the United Kingdom, and it’s expected there will be a further 30,000 children coming into care this year. We need foster carers from all walks of life, faiths and areas around the borough to help support our local children by keeping them in school, near their friends and in an area they feel safe. 

If you have a spare bedroom, and can offer a local child the love and support of a family, get in touch with Blackburn with Darwen’s fostering team, Let’s Foster, today.”

Louise Helm – Service Lead, Placements. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the 1V Awards Dinner’s Outstanding Achievement Award again for 2024. Seeing the young people presenting the awards dinner last year was one of the highlights of the evening for us. These confident, well-spoken and passionate young adults really commanded the room and drove the evening to success. We are really looking forward to February and the next awards dinner, it will be an event not to be missed. 

Rachael Parr, Electricity North West’s people and corporate services director, added:  “We’re delighted to be sponsoring the new Apprentice of the Year award at the 1V Awards Dinner. 

“Earlier this year, we announced a new £2bn business plan which will undoubtedly transform the region’s power network and our apprentices will have a major role to play over the next five years to complete huge programme of work. 

“We’re also committed to upskilling and investing in our workforce and over our five-year business plan period, we’ll be creating 600 green jobs and we’ll also be looking to enhance the diversity of our current workforce. 

“The energy sector is changing constantly and there’s never a better time to join. We have plenty of successful colleagues who started with the business as an apprentice and our latest cohort, who joined last September, are already starting to play a key role in allowing customers to adapt low carbon technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles.

“Later this year we’ll be further investing in more apprentices as the recruitment window for out latest intake opens. That’s always an exciting period and I urge anybody who is interested in becoming an engineer of the future to get involved.”

Each sponsor plays an important role in providing key services in the community and reflect One Voice Blackburn’s mission of striving to be a warm, compassionate, and engaging organisation which is valued and respected in all communities.

The Aya Hachem young Person of the Year is sponsored by Blackburn College. The 1V Woman of the Year is sponsored by the Catering Co. Group, while the 1V Health Award is sponsored by Spring North.

The nomination process for the awards closes on 17th November, with a list shortlisted finalised released in December. The 1V Awards Dinner takes place on Saturday 17th February, where the winners will be announced in front of a 450 audience in King George’s Hall, Blackburn.

One Voice Blackburn Marketing Lead Sundas Bakhat welcomed the sponsors’ support. “One Voice Blackburn would like to say a big thank you to the organisations for sponsoring an award. The support makes it possible to reward those who are constantly working to make our community a better place.” 

The headline sponsor of the 1V Awards Dinner is Together Housing Association and Newground Together. They have previously been involved with the dinner and awards hosted by One Voice Blackburn.

Angela Gibbs, Board Member and EDI Champion to the Board said, “Building cohesion, improving health and well-being, helping people to reach their full potential – this is vitally important across all of our communities and Together Housing Group is delighted to headline sponsor the 1V Awards Dinner again to celebrate their truly inspirational work in Blackburn and Darwen.”