Northamptonshire Community Foundation Annual Awards 2025
On Wednesday 26th November 2025, we hosted our Annual Awards event at the Royal Theatre, Northampton.
The evening marked a significant milestone: 50 years of community foundations supporting neighbourhoods throughout the UK. Closer to home, we celebrated more than £1.1 million in grants awarded to charities, community organisations and volunteer-led groups across Northamptonshire during the 2024/25 financial year.
We were thrilled to honour dozens of small, grassroots charities and dedicated volunteers from across the county, with awards presented across eight categories: Building Better Communities, Celebrating Culture and Heritage, Excellence in Education, Happy and Healthy Communities, Tackling Inequalities, the High Sheriff's Initiative Award, Lady Juliet Townsend Award for Volunteering, and the David Laing CBE Young People Poetry Award.
The event was made possible by our valued local business partners. For the third year running, Scott Bader Commonwealth served as our Headline Sponsor, with additional support from Unity Trust Bank, Tangerine Red, Wilson Browne Solicitors, The Chester House Estate, the University of Northampton, Northampton Specsavers Hearcare and EMW Law.
Our Chief Executive, Rachel McGrath, said: "Our Annual Awards event is always so full of joy; it is a real honour to be able to celebrate and recognise the achievements of organisations that do so much for our county.
Thank you to our generous event sponsors, donors and partners, your support made this event possible. And to our award finalists and winners, we send huge congratulations. The work you do is life-changing for some of Northamptonshire's most vulnerable residents, and we are very proud to work alongside you and to recognise the impact you make."
Please join us in celebrating our wonderful award winners.
Building Better Communities Award, sponsored by Wilson Browne Solicitor
Winner: Volunteer Action
Celebrating Culture and Heritage Award, sponsored by The Chester House Estate
Winner: People's Theatre Collective
Excellence in Education Award, sponsored by the University of Northampton
Winner: Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust
Happy and Healthy Communities Award, sponsored by Northampton Specsavers Hearcare
Winner: Headway East Northants
Tackling Inequalities Award, sponsored by EMW Law
Winner: Higham Ferrers Gateway Club
The Northamptonshire High Sheriff's Initiative Award
Winner: South Northants Youth Engagement
The Lady Juliet Townsend Award for Volunteering
Winner: Dylan Jake
David Laing CBE Young People Poetry Award
Winner: Summer McLaren, Jamie Hustwait and Nathan Crockett