BOB’S CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES HONOURED WITH A PRESTIGIOUS CHARITY AWARD

Band of Builders’ Chair of the Board of Trustees Dave Seal was named the winner of the Charity Chair of the Year Award at the recent Third Sector Awards – which is dubbed by some as the BAFTAs of the charity sector.

Dave took to the stage to collect his award from comedian Mark Watson, who was the compere at the ceremony, which was held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in Central London.

Dave has been involved with our charity since the early days, and having taken up the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees, he has made a big impact in helping steer the strategic direction of BoB.

He has revolutionised our charity’s infrastructure to enhance our reach, efficiency and effectiveness. A key aspect of this has been expanding the board by recruiting trustees with valuable expertise – and this has enabled us to help more beneficiaries, develop partnerships with corporate sponsors and raise greater awareness.

Alongside these structural transformations, Dave has masterminded the sale of BoB tape measures via stockists including Toolbank, which has raised tens of thousands of pounds.

The judges said: “Dave has put the charity in a better position by increasing the size of the board from 3 to 11, creating sub-committees, increasing partnerships and funding, and presiding over the hiring of the new chief executive. These strategic achievements have created stability and should put the organisation on a stronger footing, which will serve as a platform for future growth.”

A very humbled Dave said: “This award is a reflection of the amazing work that makes Band of Builders the success it is – and it is down to the hard work and dedication of many outstanding people, together with the incredible support we are afforded from our partners. I am truly grateful to these amazing people and companies. I thank them sincerely for everything they do for this incredible charity.”

BoB was shortlisted in three other categories, including Best Small Charity Film, which was for a film made by our friends at On The Tools; Unsung Hero, which recognised the work of our PR genius Ellen Manning; and Volunteer of the Year for Tony Everett, who is a committed volunteer to both BoB and another charity, ANON.

This is the second year in a row that BoB has won awards at the Third Sector Awards.

At the 2023 awards, BoB won Corporate Partnership of the Year – Small for our partnership with Jewson – to which the judges said: “This was a fantastic partnership that set about targeting and supporting a specific community that might not always be open to talking about mental health – and it delivered in spades.”

And our CEO, Gavin Crane, won the Rising Chief Executive Award. The judges said: “There is no doubt Gavin Crane lives and breathes his charity Band of Builders – and is a vital cog in its growth and sustainability. Having worked ‘on the tools’ since school, rising from volunteer to chief executive, Gavin’s passion for the construction industry shines through strongly. An inspiring personal story with a positive impact upon a whole industry.”

BoB also received two highly commended awards for Small Charity of the Year and Small Charity, Big Achiever.