Connect Communications has announced Honeypot as the winner of the inaugural Campaign Award at their Summer Party on Tuesday 7th July in Westminster.
Honeypot provides respite breaks and outreach support to young carers and vulnerable children, aged five to twelve years old. Most of the children supported by Honeypot are young carers who juggle school and growing up whilst performing a surrogate adult role at home. Many care for a chronically or terminally ill loved one, or have a parent with drug, alcohol or mental health problem. Some will have been in a caring role from as young as five years old, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Connect’s new initiative will allow the winner to benefit from their consultancy services for one year on a pro-bono basis in order to enable a good cause to deliver a public affairs campaign that might not otherwise be possible. The Award received 27 entries from charities interested in pitching their campaign. A shortlist of four finalists, i.e. LawWorks, Migrant Voice, Women’s Aid as well as Honeypot, was drawn up by Connect consultants.
All four finalists pitched their campaigns to the Connect alumni judging panel which consisted of Miles Celic (Prudential), Gazala Haq (Hewlett Packard), Simon Redfern (Starbucks) on Thursday 2nd July. The panel examined different criteria, including how the campaign will make a tangible difference to people’s lives and the degree of appetite to use public affairs to achieve campaign objectives.
Gill Morris, Connect’s Executive Chairman, commented: “I am absolutely delighted by the enthusiasm we have received for our first Connect Campaign Award. We had so many very strong applications and all of those who entered deserve to be congratulated. Our finalists presented some fantastic ideas and I am only sorry that there could only be one winner.
“I am very excited that Connect will be working with Honeypot over the coming year. We are going to put our heart and soul into this – working hard as a team and doing the best for a good cause has always been the Connect way.”
Miles Celic, Director of Group Strategic Communications at Prudential, commented: “Among an exceptionally strong field of candidates, Honeypot stood out. They do amazing work on a powerful and moving issue. I have no doubt that Connect will be able to provide invaluable help in driving Honeypot’s priorities further up the political and media agendas.”
Simon Redfern, Director Corporate Affairs, Starbucks UK, said: “I was honoured to be invited to judge the very strong entries for the Connect Campaign Award – and delighted that Honeypot was the unanimous choice of the judges. For me the limited awareness of the plight of young carers made Honeypot’s campaign really stand out.”
Gazala Haq, a corporate affairs and government relations specialist, said: “I was very moved by the presentation from Danielle at Honeypot – the numbers of young people who are carers is shocking and the stories that Danielle used illustrate the urgent need for a campaign to raise awareness of this issue.”