Suffolk BME Business Awards Honor Charitable Achievements

A charitable organization dedicated to assisting Caribbean and African communities stated that earning a business award demonstrates the ability to “make a lot of noise quietly.” The Caribbean and African Community Health Support Forum received the Charity of the Year distinction at the 2024 Suffolk BME Business Awards. This marks the sixth iteration of the awards, which are jointly organized by BSC Multicultural Services and the University of Suffolk. Clem Turner, who chairs the forum, commented: “We are absolutely over the moon. This has been 15 years of hard work, so hard work does pay off.” The recipients across nine distinct categories were announced during a ceremony held on Tuesday at the university’s waterfront building in Ipswich. Roland Gilbertson co-hosted the event alongside Mark Murphy, a former BBC presenter who currently leads Cancer Support Suffolk. Mr. Gilbertson, who operates ThinkBiznes and was recognized as Business of the Year in 2022, remarked: “It’s about celebrating excellence, diversity and community. “You hear inspiring stories and network with entrepreneurs.” Sickle Cell Suffolk, an organization founded in 2014 to raise awareness of sickle cell disorder (SCD) among Black and ethnic minority communities in Suffolk, received the Health Champion of the Year award. Elaine Tappin, the group’s co-ordinator, also lives with SCD. She added: “We also raise awareness of the need for blood donation. Anyone can need blood at any time, but for sickle cell it can be a regular form of treatment for us, so it’s always better to have ethnically matched blood.” Updates on Suffolk news are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.