Aviva announces winners of the 2021 Aviva Broker Community Fund

Aviva has announced the winners of the 2021 Aviva Broker Community Fund.

A panel of brokers and Aviva staff judged the entries, settling on 40 incredible community projects and good causes which will benefit from awards ranging from £2,500 up to £20,000.  In addition, 25 broker entries will benefit from £500 each, meaning that the Aviva Broker Community Fund will help nearly half of those projects put forward by brokers this year.

Brokers showed their passion for local good causes and projects, submitting more than 140 entries for a slice of the £300,000 fund. This year’s fund is the largest-ever total in its 10 year history, and is on top of the £1.3m the Aviva Broker Community Fund has awarded to more than 320 grants since 2010. 

Brokers nominated a range of projects and causes including community centres, sports clubs, wellbeing projects, animal care, community first aid, search and rescue projects and more. The winning entries are spread right across the UK – from the Channel Islands to Caerphilly, and from Polzeath in Cornwall up to South Lanarkshire in Scotland.

Gareth Hemming, Chief Distribution Officer, Aviva, said, “Brokers are an integral part of their local communities, and their passion for good, local causes has shone through in this year’s award. It has been inspiring to see so many brokers who share Aviva’s values and want to get involved and support their local communities.

“Congratulations to all the brokers who took time to enter the Aviva Community Fund. Brokers’ passion for projects that aim to boost the strength of their communities is incredible, and I am delighted that Aviva can provide funding for these incredible local causes.”

Winners

Among the 40 prize winners are Prescott Jones Insurance Solutions who helped South Riverside Community Development Centre secure one of the five £20,000 awards on offer. Paul Gardner, Sales and Marketing Director at Prescott Jones, said he was grateful that the Aviva Broker Community Fund is supporting the South Riverside Community: “I know the funds will undoubtedly improve lives. It is not too far-fetched to say it will help save lives.”

Stanmore Insurance secured funding for their chosen causes – twice! The North West-based brokers helped secure one of ten £10,000 awards for Girls Out Loud’s Stardom Programme and were also one of the fifteen available £2,500 award winners on behalf of the Hollins Conservation Group. Jackie Hyde, Managing Director, Stanmore Insurance said, “As a broker we are thrilled that two projects that the team support were allocated money from the fund. The Aviva Community Fund is an amazing initiative and a great way for brokers to extend the support they give and raise the profile of local causes. We’re a community broker so it’s fantastic to be able to help those projects that are local and close to our hearts.”

Doncaster-based Dobson & Hodge secured £5,000 for their chosen project, the Create a Dream Foundation. Ailsa Watson, Associate Director at Dobson and Hodge Ltd, said, “We are so happy to have been successful in obtaining the award for the Create a Dream Foundation, as the extra funds will help the charity – in what has been a particularly difficult year for fundraising – to continue to provide Dream-like experiences for seriously ill children in South Yorkshire.  This deserving charity is one which Dobson and Hodge have been supporting and working very closely with since 2019.”

Hemming concluded, “The past 18 months have been a really tough time for small charities and local organisations who rely on regular fundraising and community support to keep them running. So this year’s Aviva Broker Community Fund feels all the more important as a vital source of funding for so many great causes. I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to apply. We have been overwhelmed by brokers’ passion and commitment for their local community groups.”

The full list of broker winners and their causes are now online alongside our winners’ video. Take a look here.