The winners of the Scottish Charity Awards recognising Scotland’s voluntary sector were announced in a celebratory awards ceremony last night (Friday 23 June) at the Sheraton Hotel, Edinburgh. Diversified from West Lothian won the acclaimed Charity of the Year award. Team Jak from West Lothian were also nominated in this category, which SMILE won last year too. This award demonstrates the talent and hard work that goes on in the Third Sector in West Lothian
Hosted by Sally Magnusson and run annually by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrates the best of the voluntary sector. This year’s shortlist included 32 individuals and organisations from charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups across the country.
Charity of the Year – Diversified
Last year, Diversified’s Kaydi, became one of the youngest autistic charity CEOs in the UK at 15 years old. Determined Kaydi didn’t let her age prevent her from achieving her vision, and she successfully opened the first youth facility of its kind in Scotland, designed and led by people with autism. Thanks to Diversified’s hub and specialist services, neurodivergent young people in West Lothian can improve their confidence, wellbeing and skills in a safe space designed specifically for their needs.
Kaydi Scottsville, CEO, Diversified said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this incredible and prestigious award! Autistic young people often don’t get the same opportunities as their peers so to be the first fully autistic youth led charity to be recognised at this level and win this award, is one of the biggest achievements for our neurodivergent youth community. Thank you to every single person, organisation and funder who has supported us and our journey to where we are now, we couldn’t have done it without you and we cannot be more grateful!
The winner of each of the nine categories was decided by a judging panel, with the tenth People’s Choice category winner decided by the public with over 14,000 votes cast online. The winners of the Scottish Charity Awards 2023 are:
- Charity of the Year award: Diversified
- Campaign of the Year award: Feniks
- Volunteer of the Year award: Andrii Zhehestovskyi – Libraries & Information Services Dundee
- Community Action award: Fresh Start Scotland
- Employee of the Year award: Paul Sheerin – Beatson Cancer Charity
- Climate Conscious award: Climate Action Strathaven
- Pioneering Project award: Quarriers
- Trustee of the Year award: Vongayi Mufara – Amma Birth Companions
- Digital Citizen award: Simon Community Scotland
- People’s Choice award: Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity
https://scvo.scot/p/60357/2023/06/24/scottish-charity-awards-2023-winners-announced
