GamCare shortlisted for prestigious Howard League Community Award
GamCare is being recognised for all its amazing work
In 2020, GamCare won as the Organisation of the Year winner and it seems that the charity has been nominated for the second time with another nomination from The Howard League. The leading UK charity has been nominated in the Organisation of the Year category for its work across the Criminal Justice System.
The awards will be presented through Community Awards which praise people and organisations whose innovative work helps to make communities safer. Results for the awards show will be announced on Tuesday 22nd of November with an online ceremony.
What is The Howard League?
Established in 1866, The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the UK working for less crime, safer communities and safer people in prison.
Working alongside parliament, media, schools and members of the public, the organisation creates debates surrounding tough topics and forces meaningful change to create safer communities.
The Community Awards celebrate those within the community who have helped to promote positive change with the awards starting in 2012.
What has GamCare been nominated for?
Chris Walker, the Criminal Justice Programme Manager at GamCare, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this award. I am incredibly proud of the work achieved by the Criminal Justice Programme and seeing the increased awareness of gambling-related harms and the support options within criminal justice services.”
According to GamCare, there are six specific achievements that have led to this nomination including:
- Working with operational and strategic staff in the CJS to raise awareness of gambling-related harms
- Building evidence to inform and improve the national response to gambling harms in the CJS
- Running thought leadership events that bring together Lived Experience, academics and professionals in the field as well as gambling support agencies
- Holding in-person Lived Experience Forum days, most recently this year in Leeds.
- Supporting the Prisons and Probations service in the development of their first national strategy to address gambling harms in the Criminal Justice System
- Running pilots with London and Greater Manchester Probation Services
What else has GamCare achieved this year?
Last October, GamCare called for more support for student gamblers with a collaboration with its sister organisation BigDeal to drive support and break down the stigmas surrounding gambling.
Following this, GamCare reinforced its support services available all year round and emphasised its availability throughout Christmas. In addition to this, GamCare also highlighted the need for self-exclusion schemes with cryptocurrency and pushed for changes within the Gambling Act.
Throughout 2022, GamCare worked with Entain to deliver a safer gambling accreditation and even partnered with Rank to promote safer gambling. GamCare even worked to tackle gambling harm in the criminal justice system in August 2022.
GamCare even partnered with YGAM and Fast Forward to launch a new educational framework to educate on gambling harm. This is just a fraction of the work that has been done by GamCare this year!
The Community Awards process
There will be six different judges deciding on the results with esteemed individuals such as Dr Ben Bradford ( Trustee at Howard League for Penal Reform), Superintendent Stan Gilmour (LAP Commander at Thames Valley Police) and Catryn Yousefi (Programmes Manager at Howard League for Penal Reform).
In the category that GamCare is nominated in, there are five other candidates that have delivered amazing work across the year. The results will not be final until the 22nd of November 2022 but we wish everyone the best of luck.