Press Release - 14 August 2007

Bradford Partners Earn National Recognition

A West Yorkshire economic development charity has been short-listed in the voluntary sector's flagship awards.

Bradford-based QED-UK has made it to the finals of next month's Third Sector Excellence Awards, which celebrate the achievements of charities across the country.

The ceremony, which takes place in London, will see QED-UK go head-to-head with some of the voluntary sector's best-known names, including the Terence Higgins Trust, Cancer Research UK and the National Autistic Society.

QED-UK, which provides education, employment and training for people of disadvantaged ethnic minorities, has been short-listed in the Best Corporate Partnership category for its long-standing relationship with Bradford & Bingley.

Since the partnership began in 1993, Bradford & Bingley has supported the charity with donations in excess of £300,000, which have helped to develop and initiate several projects and campaigns of national significance.

These have included Narrowing the Gap, a three-year QED-UK project supported by HM Treasury and the Department for Work and Pensions, which works to help narrow the employment gap between British Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups and the general population.

The charity's New Arrivals Programme has also received invaluable support from Bradford & Bingley. The project, which is run in partnership with Jobcentre Plus, each year helps around 200 newly-arrived people of all ethnic origins who have recently arrived in the Bradford district to gain employment.

By working with QED-UK, Bradford & Bingley aims to develop a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing ethnic minorities, especially with regard to employment practices. It also strives to build relationships as an employer and as a service provider within these communities.

Bradford & Bingley's group corporate social responsibility manager Mike Hammond said: "We strongly endorse the work undertaken by QED-UK to work with business on their diversity strategies, something which has helped us develop a competitive edge. Ensuring our company provides equal opportunities is not purely a box-ticking exercise, it is essential to ensure we are a vibrant, sustainable company."

Chief Executive of QED-UK Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, echoed Mike's comments: "We are proud to have maintained and indeed strengthened our relationship with Bradford & Bingley over the years. Their support has been constant and invaluable, and we look forward to many more years of working together.

"Being short-listed for a national award is a wonderful endorsement of our collective efforts over the last decade and more."

Representatives from QED-UK and Bradford & Bingley will find out if they have triumphed in their category when they attend the Excellence Awards ceremony on Thursday 20 September at the Hurlingham Club in London.

Picture shows Chief executive of Bradford & Bingley Steven Crawshaw (centre) with QED-UK deputy chief executive Adeeba Malik and chief executive Dr Mohammed Ali OBE.

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