Have YOU nominated a deserving Ruddington trader, group or person for a ‘gong’ yet, to show your appreciation for what they do in our village? If not, there’s still time… just!
Launched by Ruddington Village Community Partnership (RVCP) in 2022, the ‘Rudd Awards’ are back again this year for a second time. With seven categories, these awards are designed to recognise and celebrate those businesses, community groups and individuals that contribute to making Ruddington a thriving place to live, work and enjoy.
Nominations for the 2024 awards in six of those categories are still open, with the submission date extended until Friday 23rd February at 5pm. These are:
- Sports, Leisure & Culture
- Village Retailer or Service
- Village Hospitality
- Community Group
- Champion Volunteer
- Young Star
You can put forward a favourite in each one, with a reason why you chose them, online at www.rvcp.org.uk/awards. Alternatively, paper forms are available from Ruddington Parish Council in St Peter’s Rooms during office hours.
Additionally, as before, there’ll be a seventh category – the ‘Heart of Ruddington’ – to be decided by the RVCP Awards Committee. This award is the ultimate accolade for for an individual or group that has demonstrated extraordinary service to Ruddington and the wider community.
The lead sponsor is again Ruddington-headquartered Okarno Ltd, though formerly known as Artex. Part of worldwide group Saint Gobain, Okarno has been supplying customers since 1935 and is a primary distributor of some of the UK’s leading construction brands including Gyproc, Thistle, Weber and BlueHawk. The Pasture Lane based business offers a diverse choice of over 500 trade and DIY construction products to merchants, decorator centres and DIY retailers nationwide.
Jason Smith, Managing Director at Okarno Ltd, says: “We’re delighted to be supporting the Rudd Awards again this year – this time as Okarno! Whilst we recently changed the name of our business from Artex Ltd to Okarno, we are still the same business with the same great people and continue to pride ourselves on a core set of values which are mirrored throughout the Rudd Awards. As a local employer we love to see our community thriving and are excited to be taking part in this wonderful event to recognise the shining stars who are doing great work to develop the village.”
Over the past 30 years the firm has continued to strengthen its relationship with the local community, with over half of its colleagues living locally. Okarno will sponsor the overall event and also the ‘Heart of Ruddington’ award category mentioned above.
Global software solutions provider, Ideagen, is backing the awards again too, sponsoring the ‘Young Star’ category. With 1,500+ people located across the globe, Ideagen has had a presence in Ruddington for over a decade, officially opening its global headquarters in Ruddington Fields Business Park in 2020, after previously being home to one of its smaller offices since 2016.
Ben Dorks, CEO of Ideagen, who was brought up in Rushcliffe and still lives locally with his family, says: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the ‘Young Star’ Award again. Every year I’m blown away by the incredible things these young individuals are doing to support the community and each other. These awards celebrate stand-out accomplishments and the vibrant spirit within our local Ruddington community, values that resonate deeply with our business. It is our honour to recognise and support these deserving achievements.”
The five other categories are being sponsored by other locally based businesses including creative agency, True Story with ‘Village Retailer or Service’, Quotient Sciences with ‘Village Hospitality’, My Care, Ruddington Retirement Village for ‘Community Group’ and, new to the awards this year – Ridge Clean Energy Ltd backing ‘Volunteer or Fundraiser’ plus Frank Key Group supporting the ‘Sports, Leisure and Culture’ category.
The shortlist will be unveiled in March and finalists selected by a local independent judging panel. The winners will be announced at the awards evening on Friday 17th May 2024 in St Peters Church, compered by BBC Radio Nottingham’s Drivetime presenter Verity Cowley.
The biennial awards – for which RUDDINGTON.info is again the official media partner – are one of several community initiatives set up by RVCP as part of its aims to encourage everyone within the community to play an active role in the future of a prosperous, confident village. For more information about RVCP visit www.rvcp.org.uk.
