NOTTINGHAM ASIAN ARTS OFFICER WINS COMMUNITY AWARD
(8 June 2006)

Nottingham-based Asian Arts Officer, Bhavesh Jani, has won the prestigious Sir David Sieff Award for his community work though the NAAC (Nottingham Arts Arts Council). The award, which was presented to him at the Peepul Centre, Leicester on the 8th June 2006, is one of fourteen awards: twelve being presented to companies in recognition of their work in supporting people and work in the community. Only two awards were for individuals.

The Marks & Spencer Sieff Award was introduced in 2002 to coincide with Business in the Community’s 20th Anniversary and the retirement of pioneering corporate leader and founder member, Sir David Sieff of Marks & Spencer. This Award pays tribute to the long history of corporate community involvement that the Sieff family has promoted.

The Marks & Spencer Sieff Award provides the opportunity to nominate an outstanding community individual. The nominee will demonstrate an understanding of the role that business can play in creating healthy and successful communities and will have effectively collaborated with the corporate sector to benefit both society and business.

Marks & Spencer Sieff Awards will be made at regional and national levels. If the nominee’s collaboration with business is at a local or regional level then they should be entered for the appropriate Regional Sieff Award. If it is on a national (UK) or even international scale then they should be entered for the National Sieff Award.

"At Marks & Spencer we have long believed that healthy high streets need healthy back streets. We also believe that business has a vital role to play in creating those healthy back streets through innovative, sustained and appropriate investment of its skills, time and money - in our case we have created the UK's biggest company-led work experience scheme, Marks & Start, which is removing barriers to work for literally thousands of people."

" We also know that successful investment of this sort is simply not possible without the inspirational skills, energy, knowledge and wisdom of community leaders who can broker and direct the resources and energies of companies to the enormous benefit not just of society, but also of business. The Marks & Spencer Sieff Award is our tribute to those community leaders." E-J Walker, Community Programme Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility.

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