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25 November 2013

Press release

Inspiring community-changers to be awarded in parliament

This year's Inspire Awards is set to showcase some of the best-kept secrets in the community since the awards started in 2008. The awards scheme searches for and recognises unsung Christian heroes.

Finalists in this year's awards include a former homeless husband and wife couple who have now set up an outreach centre for homeless people in Blackpool, Lancashire which is helping thousands in need; an award-winning financial advisor using her skills to help heavily indebted people in Gillingham, Dorset, some of whom are at their wits end; and a project that helps teenage girls who are struggling with problems of self-identity and which is now in big demand by schools across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

There are nine finalists in three categories. The winners will be announced at the Palace of Westminster on 28 November 2013 by Shadow Employment Minister Stephen Timms MP, Evangelical Alliance director Steve Clifford and Inspire magazine editor Russ Bravo.

"Christians passionate to make life better for all are often the heartbeat of thriving local communities in Britain. We're delighted to be able to shine a light on some of the inspirational people whose love, imagination and service are changing lives week by week across the country. They are the good news stories that really make a difference," said Russ Bravo.

"Up and down the country, Christians are working imaginatively for the good of their communities. I'm delighted to be able to join in commending the work of these inspiring individuals and projects.They are demonstrating by their actions what it means truly to love their neighbours. Each of the Inspire Awards nominees is an example to us all," said Stephen Timms.

Dave Landrum, director of advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance, said: "These projects deserve the highest recognition. They are all driven by people who are committed to seeing faith in the community working. At a time when needs are growing and funding of services is being squeezed it's encouraging to see evangelical Christians standing in the gap and demonstrating the love of God. This has been our historic role, and it's great to be able celebrate these projects today."

The Inspire Awards have been running since 2008 and are run in partnership by Inspire magazine, CPO and the Evangelical Alliance, assisted this year by YFC (Youth for Christ).

Details on each finalist can be found at: www.eauk.org/media-content/inspireawards/ along with photos, logos and citations.

Media Enquiries

Danny Webster
Tel: 07766 444 650
Email: info@eauk.org

Notes to Editors

  • Press are invited to cover the event in the Jubilee Room, Palace of Westminster. Please contact Terry Ally (details above) if you would like to attend.
  • Photos and citations are available at: www.eauk.org/media-content/inspireawards/
  • Shortlisted candidates are:
    • Hannah Gibbons (Dorset) runs a Christian Against Poverty Centre in Gillingham
    • Margaret Romain (Darlington) runs a support group for mental illness which has been endorsed by the NHS
    • Geoff Lumley (Acton) who is the inspiration that drives the Tywford Fellowship Group for students
    • Number 72 (Suffolk), a service helping families with bereavement, parenting, debt advice and relationships among other issues
    • GIFTED (north Lincs), run by New Life Church Scunthorpe providing help and a haven for women battling issues such as substance abuse and domestic violence
    • The Well (Lancs), run by former a homeless couple for the homeless
    • The Encounter Trust (Bucks), a free Christian summer holiday club catering to more than 2,000 children up to 11 years old
    • Spiritulized (Devon), a programme that runs numerous projects for young people, keeping them safe off the streets and offering life skills advice (NB Spiritulized is spelt without an "a")
    • The Shine Project (Dorset), helping teenage girls who are struggling with self-identity issues

About Inspire Magazine
Launched in 2006, Inspire magazine is the UK's largest reach Christian magazine, with more than 50,000 copies distributed through churches across the UK, and a readership of 200,000+. It is designed to tell the good news stories of God at work transforming individuals, churches and communities in the UK and across the world. Find out more at www.inspiremagazine.org.uk and follow @inspirestories on Twitter.

About CPO
CPO (Christian Publishing & Outreach) specialises in church publicity, and in outreach and evangelism resources. We offer church posters, banners, invitations and tracts in order to encourage and inspire church outreach across the UK. CPO publishes Inspire and Woman Alive magazines, and also provides a wide range of design, editorial, subscription, printing, fulfilment and despatch services. Some of our current customers include Boys' Brigade, Church Army, Plain Truth, SPUC and Roots. CPO is a wholly owned subsidiary of the charity Christian Publicity Ltd (CPL). Resources are at www.cposhop.org.uk and www.fourewe.co.uk, and services available at www.cpo.org.

About the Evangelical Alliance
We are the largest and oldest body representing the UK’s two million evangelical Christians. For more than 165 years, we have been bringing Christians together and helping them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society. We’re here to connect people for a shared mission, whether it’s celebrating the Bible, making a difference in our communities or lobbying the government for a better society. From Skye to Southampton, from Coleraine to Cardiff, we work across 79 denominations, 3,500 churches, 750 organisations and thousands of individual members. And we're not just uniting Christians within the UK – we are a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of more than 600 million evangelical Christians. For more information, go to www.eauk.org. www.eauk.org