THE LIFE-SAVING charity behind the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance has picked up a coveted national title at this year’s Charity Retail Awards.
The Rugby-based Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) won the Best Use of Innovation and Technology award for a project which allows businesses and communities to recycle IT equipment free of charge.
The charity, which also flies the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance, collects the items for free, wipes them of all data, restores them to full functionality and sells them on.
The scheme has so far raised £40,000 to help fund the charity’s life-saving missions, and recycled 10,000 tons of metals, plastics, and other items which would otherwise have ended up in landfills.
TAAS was also shortlisted in the top three for the Outstanding Charity Retailer of the Year, and Ann Robinson was shortlisted in the Volunteer of the Year category for her work at the charity’s warehouse in Kegworth.
TAAS deputy CEO Emma Peake said: “We are hugely honoured to win this prestigious title and to be recognised by the Charity Retail Awards.
“Our teams are very committed and dedicated to our charity, and work tirelessly to achieve as much income for the charity as they can while recognising our responsibilities to the environment with our re-use schemes.
“Our shops are manned by hundreds of wonderful volunteers so this is a real testimony to their work they do for us alongside our professional store and re-use management teams.”
Charity Retail Association chief executive Robin Osterley said: “Our awards give us the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the inspirational work that staff and volunteers do across the United Kingdom, and the winners should be rightly proud of their achievements.”
The winners received their awards at a ceremony in Nottingham as part of the Charity Retail Association Conference and Exhibition.
