The Regal in Tenbury Wells gets £25,000 windfall
A town's cinema and theatre is in the running to win £25,000 after it made it onto a shortlist for "community initiative of the year".
The Regal in Tenbury Wells has joined a handful of other organisations and individuals going head-to-head to be named central England regional winner in the Britain Has Spirit awards.
The team at The Regal are up against just two other groups, Avenues Community Association Charity Dreams in Action and Warwickshire Save a Baby's Life, for the title of regional community initiative. If it wins it will bag £1,000 towards a street party and will go on to the finals, up against winners from nine other regions for £25,000. There is a separate category for "community hero of the year".
The shortlist for the Central region has been drawn up after nominations were made earlier this year. This crucial next stage in the campaign will rely on the public to choose their most deserving volunteer heroes and cast their vote across 10 British regions. Voting opens today.
The Britain Has Spirit campaign, fronted by TV presenter Gabby Logan, will culminate in a glitzy awards ceremony later in the year.
Gabby said: "The public have a very important job to do. Central England has some incredible volunteer groups and standout individuals, all of whom are worthy winners.
"However there can only be one winner per category per region – so it's incredibly important you vote for your favourite and get them one step further to the national prize of £25,000."
The campaign was launched in response to research by Together Mutual Insurance, which highlighted the lack of community spirit across the nation. In particular, 49 per cent of respondents in central England admit they have never volunteered.
Groups and individuals can be voted for on the website www.britainhasspirit.com
