NEW community-based charities were among the big winners at the night to honour the work of Oxfordshire’s voluntary sector.

Charities that help support refugees and distribute food to the homeless were among the organisations recognised at the Oxfordshire Charity of the Year Awards, held at North Oxford Golf Club last Wednesday.

But the top prize went to Low Carbon West Oxford, a community-led initiative set up in the wake of the July 2007 floods.

Lois Muddiman, a trustee of the group that collected the charity of the year award, said the award sent out a strong signal about the way environmental charities are viewed across the county.

Ms Muddiman said: “We are very pleased that the charity of the year award has been given to a charity whose primary aim is to reduce CO2 emissions in West Oxford by 80 per cent by 2050. It shows that the low-carbon agenda is becoming much more mainstream.

“This award is a tribute to the efforts of so many people in our community who have given so much voluntary time.

“LCWO is working with a further 50 households on our low carbon living programme and we will be planting another 1,200 trees early next year. We are also developing plans to share our learning with other communities.”

The awards, run by Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA), attracted more than 100 nominations. They are sponsored by the Responsible Oxfordshire Business Involvement Network, with The Oxford Times acting as media partner. The top award was presented by the former Lord Mayor of Oxford, Ann Spokes Symonds, the vice-president of OCVA, who was celebrating her 85th birthday.

Another new charity taking a fresh approach to improving life for needy people across the county lifted the new group of the year award, exactly a year after coming into being.

The Oxford Food Bank has already distributed £100,000 worth of food to needy groups across the city. The group collects food that has reached its sell-by date from supermarkets and a wholesaler in Bicester, and after being sorted at a depot in Oxford, is taken to homeless soup kitchens and children’s projects.

Former BBC journalist Robin Aitken, Oxford Food Bank director, said: “Our first year exceeded all expectations. We started off shifting a modest amount of food in our own cars.

“We now deliver more than one tonne of food a week to about 16 charities in Oxford. We operate seven days a week and haven’t missed a delivery since we started.

“The food bank is entirely voluntary — we pay no salaries — and our overheads are kept to an absolute minimum. The Oxford Food Bank has been supported from the start by Sainsbury’s and now by Fresh Direct of Bicester; without them we could have done nothing. They’ve provided significant quantities of really good wholesome food to give away.”

The category awards were presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Tim Stevenson.

The Launton Plotters, an allotment group that began with a voluntary committee of five people last year, landed the greenest group award. The award for under-25s went to the student-run charity Jacari, which provides home teaching for children living in Oxford who do not speak English as their first language.

Oxfordshire Community Foundation, which supports groups working in the arts, sport, disabled, elderly and refugees, won the community impact award.

The fundraising campaign award went to Project Inspire, the charitable trust set up to create a village hall within Fernham.

Other winners were Refugee Resource, which won the use of volunteers award and Oxfordshire County Council Waste Management, which won the statutory organisation award.

A lifetime achievement was presented to the Bullingdon Disabled Club.