Conor Phelan              January 6, 2015

Since our inception in 1998, BHP Insurances has been working alongside the not-for-profit sector in Ireland. Each year, we believe that our relationship grows stronger and we are continually astounded by the hard work of all individuals, groups and organisations who strive to make a positive impact in society.

With that in mind, we would like to congratulate all of the nominees and winners at December’s Better Together Awards. As always, it turned out to be an immensely enjoyable night. A special word of congratulations goes to the Dogs Trust for their win in the Video Competition.

Mark Phelan of BHP Insurances and Deirdre Garvey of the Wheel present Kathrina Bentley of Dogs Trust with the prize for their win in the Video Competition.

We would like to say thank you to The Wheel and everyone that was involved in making the Better Together Awards such a huge success. In our five years of sponsoring the awards, we have seen them thrive to become one of the most anticipated dates in the not-for-profit calendar. Each year we look forward to catching up with familiar faces and meeting new ones too.

We would also like to congratulate all of the nominees and winners at the Volunteer Ireland Awards 2014, which also took place in December. Thank you to Volunteer Ireland for organising the event. Volunteers play an integral role in the not-for-profit sector, and it is wonderful to see their efforts being recognised.

This year saw one individual earn the remarkable achievement of winning both Volunteer of the Year and the Charity Hero Award. Jim Kavanagh has been a volunteer with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International for over 20 years, and has helped to raise over €1.2 million to help children and adults in Belarus and brought over 1,000 children in to Ireland on rest and recuperation.

Jim’s dedication to his cause is an inspiration, and we would like to congratulate him on his well deserved win.

Jim Kavanagh, Volunteer of the Year 2014 and Charity Hero 2014.

2014 has been a significant and challenging year for the not-for-profit sector, and it is imperative – now more than ever – that we continue to recognise and celebrate the devotion and commitment of all organisations, groups and individuals. We are looking forward to continuing to work with and support the not-for-profit sector in 2015.

We hope that you had a very merry Christmas and that you have a happy new year.