[CMA] BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration

[Mickey Conn]

BURA have specifically asked us to send this information to Community 
Media groups, who they are encouraging to enter the awards.

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BURA has launched its two prestigious awards for best practice in 
regeneration for 2005 – the BURA Awards for Best Practice in 
Regeneration and the BURA Charitable Trust Awards for Community 
Regeneration. Entries are requested from today and the closing date is 
05 July 2005.  Each award scheme is sponsored by English Partnerships, 
the Government's national regeneration agency, and both are open to 
entries from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as all regions 
of England.

Speaking at the BURA Awards Ceremony in 2004 the Rt Hon Jeff Rooker, 
former Minister for Regeneration and Regional Development expressed the 
value of the awards telling winners “Use your award here as an 
ambassador’s tool to share with the community… make sure you blow your 
trumpet”.

Independent research by New Start magazine last year similarly confirmed 
the value of BURA’s longstanding and independent recognition awards:

“There was unanimous agreement that winning an award makes a hugely 
positive contribution to the organisation – winners said that it really 
helped them both by proving credibility with external funders and local 
organisations but also internally by re-energising everyone involved” 
(Kath Acres, New Start).

  “Established in the early 1990s, our annual award schemes have become 
leading independent sources of recognition in the UK. The standard of 
entries continues to impress judges, and the assessment process 
therefore becomes more rigorous, complex and interesting.”  Professor 
Peter Roberts, Chair of the Assessment Panel, University of Liverpool 
and BURA Vice Chair.

Trevor Beattie, Corporate Strategy Director of English Partnerships, 
commented "We firmly believe that engaging local people in regeneration 
programmes is key to creating better places that have a long term 
potential to thrive and develop.  This is why we are particularly 
delighted to once again lend our support to the Community Regeneration 
Awards and to the Best Practice in Regeneration Awards.  In addition, we 
look forward to marking our long-term commitment to BURA and its awards 
programme by playing an active role in selecting this year’s prestigious 
Crystal Award winner.”

BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration

Dating back to 1992, the BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration 
are a celebration of imagination, innovation, inspiration and 
determination. BURA seeks to identify and promote projects that are 
making a positive contribution to economic regeneration, acting as 
catalysts for wider regeneration and creating a self-sustaining momentum 
with long-term benefits for local communities.

BURA is very proud to reveal that the winners of this year’s BURA Awards 
for Best Practice in Regeneration 2005 will be announced on Tuesday 06 
December at the very fitting and truly spectacular venue of Tate Modern. 
All 2005 BURA Awards winners will also be considered for the special 
English Partnerships Award for Partnership in Regeneration.

BURA is furthermore pleased to announce that, in conjunction with award 
sponsors English Partnerships, there will be a supreme award within this 
year’s BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration to mark its 15th 
Anniversary. The BURA Crystal Award will go to the single award-winning 
project over the years that is judged to have offered the most lessons 
in good practice, including overcoming obstacles, responding to need, 
and having an impact.

Winners of the 2004 BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration:

Gasworks Business Park – Belfast, East Bank Development – Littlehampton, 
Hothouse – London (also winner of the English Partnerships Award for 
Partnership in Regeneration), Old Lambeth Walk – London, Castlefield – 
Manchester, Sale Waterside – Trafford.

BURA Charitable Trust Awards for Community Regeneration

The BURA Charitable Trust Awards celebrate best practice in community 
regeneration. BURA is seeking to identify and promote projects that are 
truly inspired and driven by local people with the aim of raising 
community spirit and improving the quality of life of local people.

Winners of the 2004 BURA Charitable Trust Awards for Community Regeneration:

TOPIC House – Swansea, Gascoyne Estate Community Art Mural – Hackney, 
Dingle Multi Agency Centre Ltd – Liverpool, Strathfillan Community 
Development Trust – Scotland, Sunlight Development Trust – Gillingham, 
NBSF Dales Fitness Centre – Kingston-upon-Hull, The WIRE – Littlehampton.

Entry deadline for both awards is Tuesday 05 July 2005

For an entry form and further information on the awards and ceremony 
please contact
BURA, 63-66 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8LE
Tel: 020 7539 4033  Fax: 020 7404 9614
Email awards at bura.org.uk

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Notes for Editors

1. BURA Awards for Best Practice in Regeneration
To be considered for recognition, projects or schemes should demonstrate 
that they fulfil the following criteria.  They should:

- make a positive economic contribution to the regeneration of the area 
and be financially viable;

- act as a catalyst for further regeneration and development in the 
area, thus creating a self-sustaining momentum with long-term benefits;

- contribute to community spirit and cohesion by raising levels of 
confidence in the long-term living and working environment of the local 
area and should contribute to building the capacity of local people;

- contribute to environmental sustainability;

- have been completed to the point where there is a track record of success.

- represent best, rather than good or average practice;

- involve  an appropriate range of partners and take action on a number 
of fronts;

- emphasise the need for long-term planning, development, management and 
sustainability;
- display qualities of imagination, innovation, inspiration and 
determination.

2. BURA Charitable Trust Awards for Community Regeneration
To be considered for recognition, projects for the Awards should 
demonstrate that they fulfil the following criteria.  They should:

-  be inspired by the community;

- contribute to the raising of community spirit and improve the quality 
of life of local people;

- be viable and sustainable in the longer term;

- be accountable and responsive to local stakeholders;

- address local needs identified by the local community;

- demonstrate a proven track record of success

3. BURA has provided a forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and 
information for the diverse regeneration sector since 1990. As the 
leading independent organisation for those involved in regeneration, 
BURA’s unique strength comes from its wide range of members from the 
private, public, voluntary, community and academic sectors.

BURA identifies and promotes best practice in regeneration and explores 
the social, economic and environmental issues involved for all parties. 
The Association offers national and regional networks, dynamic and 
diverse events, and specialist forums covering key issues of the 
regeneration agenda. It is focusing increasingly on contributing to 
policy development, responding to policy initiatives and improving 
support and networking services to members and to best practice 
award-winners.

4. English Partnerships is the government's national regeneration 
agency. Our aim is to deliver high quality, sustainable growth in England.

We do this by:

- Developing our portfolio of strategic sites

- Acting as the government's specialist advisor on brownfield land

- Ensuring that surplus public sector assets are used to support wider 
Government objectives, especially those contained in the Sustainable 
Communities Plan

- Helping to create communities where people can afford to live and want 
to live

- Supporting the urban renaissance by improving the quality of our towns 
and cities

Information on projects and programmes can be found at 
www.englishpartnerships.co.uk
…………
BURA
63-66 Hatton Garden
London EC1N 8LE
Tel 020 7539 4033
awards at bura.org.uk