A scheme recognising innovative church-run community projects is to award a worthy winner up to £4,000.

The Community Projects Award 2018, run by the United Reformed Church, and supported by Congregational and General Insurance plc, is now open for entrants.

To be eligible, a project must be run in the UK by members of a URC congregation, or by a local ecumenical project involving the URC.

The URC is looking for creative projects that meet a local demand and have a positive effect on community life.

In 2016, successful entrants included Cornerstone Hythe URC in Southampton, and its Families Matter project. Through its initiative, the church reached out into its community and supported people with mental health issues, helping them develop a more positive approach to life. It also supported families with children with special needs, providing them with opportunities to socialise, talk, and for their children to play. 

The Melody Makers project, run by the Trinity Community Church in Manchester, works with people living with dementia, and the charity shop run by Beeston Hill United Free Church in Leeds threw open its doors to people in need, like asylum seekers, to help meet their basic needs.

Learn more about the 2016 worthy winners by watching this short video.

 Along with the overall winner, three other prizes, totalling £10,000, are available for the 2018 runners-up. 

Short films made about all shortlisted projects will be shown at the awards ceremony scheduled to take place at the URC’s General Assembly on Saturday 7 July at the Albert Hall in Nottingham.  

The Community Project Awards has been run by the URC for more than a decade. If your church is doing something amazing, read the guidelines and start thinking about your entry today. For more information, and to download an entry form, visit the Community Project Awards page.

Entries must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 28 February 2018.