Bardsley Youth Project Shortlisted for Community Award Recognising Local Impact

We’re really pleased to share that Bardsley Youth Project has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Not-For-Profit Champion category at the Coventry & Warwickshire Business and Community Awards 2026, delivered by the Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.

The awards recognise organisations making a meaningful contribution to communities across Coventry and Warwickshire. For us, this shortlisting isn’t about a single project or moment — it reflects years of work supporting young people facing homelessness and housing insecurity in Coventry, and the collective effort that makes that work possible.

Recognising the Work — and the Community Behind It

Bardsley Youth Project supports young people aged 16–25 who are homeless, sofa surfing, living in temporary accommodation, or at risk of losing their home. Many come to us without family support, navigating financial hardship, poor wellbeing, and instability at a critical stage of their lives.

Our approach has always been practical, relational, and down to earth—focused on walking alongside young people to help them find, secure, and sustain accommodation, while also supporting their wellbeing, confidence, and independence.

This recognition reflects not only the dedication of our team and the resilience of the young people we support, but also the wider community that enables our work — including public donors, grant funders, and businesses who choose to invest time, skills, resources, and trust into Bardsley Youth Project.

Working Alongside Coventry’s Business Community

Bardsley Youth Project, whilst a charity, is constantly engaged with Coventry and Warwickshire's local business community, and is part of the Chamber of Commerce. Through this, we’ve seen how corporate–charity collaboration, when done thoughtfully and creatively, can create real local change on a truly personal level. We have developed corporate-charity partnerships that support local young people and champion those enabling it.

Support from businesses has taken many forms — from donations and fundraising, to skills volunteering and shared learning — helping us strengthen the charity. In turn, we aim to offer businesses a clear, grounded understanding of youth homelessness in Coventry and the role their contributions play in addressing it.

This kind of place-based, partnership-led work — where impact is rooted in real relationships and visible outcomes — was integral to the nomination.

-Photo Credits: Taylor Wimpey, Enterprise, Coventry Live-

A Moment to Reflect — and to Say Thank You

Being shortlisted gives us an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve achieved together. It’s an opportunity to thank:

• the young people who trust us with their stories

• our staff and volunteers, past and present, who constantly champion our young people and support them to thrive despite their difficult experiences.

• local businesses, public supporters, community fundraisers, and grant funders who have shared skills, resources, and time - enabling our work.

  
  

For us, this opportunity highlights how much local, collaborative approaches matter when tackling complex issues like youth homelessness.

We remain focused on what comes next — continuing to support young people in Coventry to find, secure, keep, and equip accommodation. As well as building local partnerships that support real local differences and build an understanding of youth homelessness in Coventry.

If you’d like to learn more about our work or our impact, you can explore our website at www.bardsleyyouth.org.

Partnership enquiries can be directed to rachel@bardsleyyouth.org

Also, our new corporate partnership hub is currently under development. This follows an extensive research project in collaboration with local businesses. Subscribe to our newsletter to see it first when it's released.