While the winners may take all the plaudits, the BIBAs also looks to the future finalists on the night.
Since its inception, the BIBAs Foundation has distributed over £140000 to local groups and individuals to empower young minds to pursue their ambitions.
Every year, thousands are raised from the long-standing annual donation from sponsors, BAE Systems, and at the BIBAs ceremony in Blackpool which are then distributed after the awards ceremony to continue fostering the region’s future talent.
One of the beneficiaries from last year’s donations – where more than £18,000 has been awarded to various projects across Lancashire – was to the Green Space Transformations charity in Blackpool, which helps young adults who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS) improve their lives.
With their £5,000 grant Green Space helped Danny, who has autism, improve his skills as a gardener, gain accreditation, regain his confidence and move into paid employment.
In total, the BIBAs Foundation has helped nine volunteers at Green Space Transformation, many of them have now branched out to find employment and pursue their careers.
A spokesperson for the group said: “We are so grateful for this funding opportunity. We have identified young men that we would like to offer employment opportunities to after their training has concluded. If it wasn’t for this funding, we wouldn’t have met them, trained them and imagined life with them!”
Another resort-based project, United Youth Alliance (UYA), were awarded over £3,500 to help in their mission to create meaningful change for young women on the Fylde. They used the cash to produce a podcast series which aims to influence policy and promote gender equality.
This initiative has helped the 40 volunteers reach a wider audience and improve technical and media skills and raise the profile of UYA.
A spokesman said: “The grant has done more than fund a programme, it has seeded a movement led by young women for young women, with the power to shape a better, fairer, and more inclusive future.”
Dave Holmes, Managing Director, FalconWorks® at BAE Systems, said; “This is the tenth year that we’ve proudly contributed towards the BIBAs Foundation grants programme and sat on the selection panels. The process for allocating the funds is always difficult as there’s a whole host of great people and initiatives requiring support. We try to ensure funding goes to as many projects as possible and know that even a small amount of money can make a huge difference to so many people’s lives.
The stories about Green Space Transformations and the United Youth Alliance are proof that the donations from the grants are making significant impact and difference across Lancashire and I’m proud of the role the BIBAs community plays advocating for these projects and individuals.”
For more information about the BIBAs Foundation, click here https://lancsfoundation.org.uk/funds/the-bibas-foundation