3:50pm Wednesday 9th June 2004
By Helen Barnes
Honouring the tireless work of volunteers or the fundraising efforts of individuals is what the Champions campaign is all about.
And nowhere is this more evident than in the nominations for the charity category of the campaign.
Dozens of entries have been received from members of the public praising the work of individuals or charitable organisations whose work has transformed the lives of people in their local community.
This year Nestl is sponsoring the Champions charity award and the company says it could think of no better way to illustrate its commitment to Croydon than by recognising the achievements of residents in the borough.
Kate Griffiths, senior corporate affairs officer for Nestl, said: "Croydon Champions is about showing and highlighting different elements of Croydon's community.
"The charity category is one aspect of that.
"Nestl has a commitment to developing local community projects in Croydon. We are supporting the charity category as part of that commitment.
"A large proportion of our employees live and work in Croydon so it is important for us that it is seen to be a good place to live and work."
Nestl supports projects in the community, donating more than £2million in financial support and prizes through the Nestl Trust.
The trust was set up to help community groups involved with the arts, sport or youth activities. It aims to help young people, particularly teenagers aged 11 to 18.
Many of Nestl's staff also devote their free time to working in the community.
To support their work Nestl established the volunteer award scheme, which provides awards of up to £1,500 to causes supported by employees, In the past the money has helped organisations including local football teams, sports clubs, church groups and charities.
In 1867, Henri Nestl founded a small business in Switzerland specialising in milk and dietetic foods. Even he could not have predicted the extraordinary growth of the company.
Today Nestl is the world's largest food company, producing a range of food and drink products.
A year after the company was founded a sales branch came to Britain. Nestl established its first factory in the UK in 1901.
Since then the company has continued to expand and more than 30 years ago Nestl chose Croydon as the home for its UK headquarters.
The company remains an integral part of the community today, employing 1,200 staff at its offices in St George's Walk.
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