Chelmsford Grand Awards - Terms & Conditions

Please note: As this is a new scheme starting in January 2012, these Terms & Conditions are subject to minor changes and adjustments.

In these terms and conditions, ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘our’ refers to Chelmsford Borough Council who is promoting and administering the Chelmsford Grand Awards.  When we use the words ‘you’ and ‘your’, we mean the group applying for a Chelmsford Grand Award.

 1.     Applying

1.1.    Applications are processed on a rolling three month cycle. For example, all applications received in January will be assessed in February, then voted for and awarded in March.

1.2.    Applications are accepted throughout the year. However, your application must be received by midday on the last day of any given month to be considered for an award the following month.

1.3.    Applying for an award is free of charge.

1.4.    You must have the authority of your organisation and be over 18 years of age to enter. No member of Council staff or present Councillor can make an application.  Organisations connected to any service of the Council are also ineligible unless they can clearly demonstrate that the Council would not directly benefit from any award received.

1.5.    Applications must be made online using the application form from the Chelmsford Grand Awards website. Applicants who are unable to complete an online application form for any reason should contact us or come into our Duke Street receptions for support.

The following are not eligible for a Chelmsford Grand Award:

- projects which only benefit an individual

- projects that promote political or religious belief(s)

- national charities (unless the project is Chelmsford based and of sole benefit to its residents)

- schools

- parish/town councils (some exceptions may apply, email for clarification)

We will not give money to projects that have already been completed, for commercial work, to cover legal fees, core funding costs (e.g. rent, overheads, insurance), fund-raising costs or start-up costs.  Groups that have already received Corporate Grant Aid from Chelmsford Borough Council in the same year are also ineligible.

1.6.    To be eligible the group/organisation must meet all of the following criteria:

  • Be of benefit to the Borough of Chelmsford and/or its residents.
  • Be non-profit making, or whose profits are fully reinvested for the benefit of the community.
  • Have a UK-based bank or building society account in the organisation’s name, with signatories who are not married, related or cohabiting.
  • Have a constitution, set of rules or written governing document.
  • Have, where appropriate, safeguarding, health and safety and equal opportunities policy.
  • Have appropriate insurance for their activities.
  • Projects must be completed within six months of the award being made unless otherwise agreed.

  • 1.7.    You can make up to three applications per calendar year. Once your group has been short listed on our website, you cannot apply again for a period of six months.  If you win a Chelmsford Grand Award, you cannot apply to the scheme again.

1.8.    When making an application, the group consents to be contacted by us, and to participate in our publicity if short listed or awarded. This may include photographs or videos on our website, and media engagement regarding how the award was spent and what difference it made.

1.9.    Data provided when applying will be only used for the administration of the Chelmsford Grand Awards scheme, and will be held in line with our organisation’s data protection policy.

1.10.  The rights in any materials provided by you when applying for an award must be your original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party. You must be the sole owner of copyright in all images entered and are responsible for obtaining all third-party permissions relating to those images. You must ensure that consent has been obtained from any clearly identifiable person appearing in any image.

 

2.     Assessing and shortlisting

2.1.    Every month, barring unforeseen events, a panel will discuss all applications and select three groups to shortlist for an online public vote. This panel will be made up of mixed-party Councillors, a Council officer and an external independent person.

2.2.    We reserve the right to shortlist a smaller or larger number of groups, if three are not possible that month for any reason.

2.3.    After your application is assessed by us, you will be notified of the outcome by email to the email address indicated on your application form. It is your responsibility to provide an operational email address and to check your email regularly after making your application.

2.4.    Each application will be assessed according to the information provided in the form. We will not be able to contact groups for missing information, so incomplete applications will be rejected.

2.5.    Due to the volume of applications and to keep the administration of the scheme manageable, we are unable to provide individual feedback on applications which are not shortlisted.

2.6.    At times, we may have more deserving applications than we can shortlist. If your group is not short listed, we may ask to keep your application for consideration again the following month. You have the opportunity to withdraw your application if you do not wish to be considered again. (This is no guarantee of being shortlisted in the next month as you will be assessed equally against the new applications.)

2.7.    Decisions regarding applications, shortlisting and awarding made by us are final and we will be under no obligation to enter into correspondence.

2.8.    If you are shortlisted, we may amend the information provided on your application form to ensure that it is suitable to be posted on the Chelmsford Grand Awards website.

2.9.  Before we can shortlist any group for an award, you will need to send us some key documents. This can be in your application form, by email or by post. If we do not receive this information in time, we will not be able to continue with your application. We take no responsibility for documents reaching us in time by post. These documents are:

  • At least one photograph of your group for the Awards website
  • A copy of your constitution / set of rules
  • Copy of insurance policy, as appropriate
  • Quotations (required for capital items and projects)

3.     Voting

3.1.    Voting will take place each month to determine which group will win the following month’s award. Voting will close at midnight on the last day of each month.

3.2.    Voters must be a resident of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

3.3.    Votes are free of charge and can only be cast online at www.chelmsfordgrandawards.co.uk/vote. Each voter can only have one vote per month.

3.4.    Registration with an email address is required to vote. This is to ensure that each voter has one vote per voting round (each month).

3.5.    Data provided while voting will only be used for the purpose of validating votes and for keeping voters up to date with the Chelmsford Grand Awards scheme.

3.6.    If you do not have an email address, please contact us or come into one of our Customer Service Centres where we can help you to set one up.

3.7.    We reserve the right to refuse, discount or suspend voting if we have reason to suspect fraudulent activity.

3.8.    The number of votes for each group will be automatically calculated and the group with the most votes will be the winner. If two groups receive the same number of votes, the panel will pick a winner at random.

3.9.    The winning group will be contacted by us and announced on our website as soon as possible after voting closes. However, this may vary or change depending on whether the winner is contactable and able to satisfy our eligibility and identification requirements.

4.     Awarding

4.1.    A single award of £1000 will be made each month to the group with the highest number of votes. There are no financial awards for the two runners-up.  By giving this award the Council is not granting your organisation legal permission to carry out your project.  You will still need to obtain appropriate planning permissions, licensing arrangements and insurance provision.  And ensure appropriate health and safety and safeguarding policies are in place.

4.2.    In unforeseen circumstances, such as an insufficient numbers of entrants, we reserve the right to retain any remaining award.

4.3.    There are no alternatives to the award and the award is not transferable.

4.4.    Projects must be completed within six months of the award or risk having their award withdrawn. We will consider reasonable adjustments in the event of unforeseeable changes if notified in writing.

4.5.    In order to receive an award, winning groups must provide proof of their identity and eligibility within 10 days of being contacted by us. If we are unable to contact the winning group or if they do not satisfy our checks, the award may be forfeited and presented to the group with the next highest number of votes.

4.6.    The award may be withdrawn or recovered if we discover that you have breached our terms and conditions, or provided incorrect information, or if you cease to exist (are dissolved, liquidated, are struck off or censured by a charity regulator) or the project ends for any reason, or you use the award for a purpose other than that set out in your application. Funds will also be withdrawn in the event of disqualification, corruption or collusion.

4.7.    If you win an award, you are required to provide us with a report (free of charge and within 28 days or as requested) on how the award was used and about the benefits experienced by the local community. In applying for the award you allow us to use this report for our publicity.

4.8.    If you are a winning entrant, you will be expected to provide regular updates on project progress and volunteering for publication on the Grand Awards website.

5.     Volunteering

5.1.    Through our website we aim to provide an introduction facility for local charities, groups and social enterprises to request volunteers and/or for members of the public to enquire about volunteering opportunities available at your organisation.

5.2.    This introduction facility is solely for groups to advertise their volunteering requirements. It is therefore the group’s responsibility to provide sufficient information, and to satisfy themselves as to the suitability of any volunteers.

5.3.    We make no representations or warranties as to the suitability of volunteers and are not responsible for any work provided by such volunteers.

5.4.    There are no charges for requesting volunteers or expressing an interest in volunteering by using the website.

6.     Website

6.1.    To provide added value to users of this website, we may provide links to other websites for you to access at your discretion. We are not responsible for any external sites or resources and do not review or endorse them.

6.2.    The information provided on this website, or in any communication containing a link to this site, is for personal use and information purposes only.

6.3.    We will endeavour to ensure that all content is accurate and up to date, but will not be obliged to remove or clearly mark outdated information. All content is subject to change by us without prior notification.

6.4.    Any views expressed through the associated social media channels are solely those of the individual who submitted them and do not reflect the views of the Council. We will endeavour to remove and report any abusive or offensive material found on any of these channels, but will not be liable for them.

6.5.    Access to and use of this website is at your own risk. We will not be liable for any direct or indirect loss or damage, including loss of reputation incurred in connection with this website.

7.     Miscellaneous

7.1.    We reserve the right to modify or suspend the Awards for any reasons.

7.2.    We may amend these terms and conditions at any time and without prior personal notice by placing a notice on the website.