my community channel

when is this on?

This isn't scheduled anytime soon.

The Beacon Prize Awards 2008

These are six inspiring stories of philanthropy from this year's Beacon prizewinners demonstrate best practice in giving.

From Cambodia to Cornwall, Northern Ireland to Newham, all six prizewinners have made exceptional contributions to charitable causes or to organisations that benefit the public.

Kevin Jenkins is a true East Ender who set up Community Links in Newham, East London, over 30 years ago while at still at school. Since then many thousands of young people have benefited from scores of innovative projects across the borough.

Paul Barry-Walsh is a highly successful entrepreneur who set up the Fredericks Foundation – an organization that has helped over 500 people transform their lives by setting up their own businesses.

Dr Peter Carey was a professor at Oxford University who, in 1989, co-founded the Cambodia Trust. The Trust has made a massive impact on the lives of over 35,000 landmine victims through its rehabilitation and training programmes.

Tom Henderson started the ShelterBox Trust, which sends iconic green ShelterBoxes to disaster zones all over the world, containing the essentials for an extended family of ten to survive an emergency for at least 6 months.

Despite suffering from ME herself, 23-year-old Vikki George set up PostPals, a website inviting people to send ‘happy post’ to chronically ill children, as she realized that something as simple as a postcard, email or letter could make a real difference to their day.

At the age of 10, Richard Moore was blinded by a rubber bullet fired by a British soldier in Kerry. Refusing to become bitter, he harnessed the experience to set up ‘Children in Crossfire’ a developmental charity working to improve the lives of children in poverty worldwide.