The KM Charity Team has launched an annual awards ceremony to showcase businesses making a real difference to community and charity services across the county.

Fifty organisations were honoured at the inaugural KM Charity Team Partnership Awards staged last week. The winners received accolades for playing a key role in helping the KM Charity Team deliver its range of services for schools and good causes.

The charity runs annual fundraising events including a bike ride, colour run, charity walk and dragon boat race which raised a total of £150,000 last year. Four Big Quiz events staged in Medway, Maidstone, Canterbury and Ashford boosted the coffers of good causes by an additional £30,000.

More than 250,000 school run car journeys were removed from the road as a result of the award-winning KM Walk to School campaign, promoting pupil health and reducing traffic congestion and pollution. Children taking part in the charity’s Buster’s Book Club initiative collectively achieved two million minutes of reading at home.

Representatives from businesses that had supported the charity’s work past and present received a KM Charity Team Partnership Award trophy and framed certificate. Organisations specifically supporting the KM Charity Team Walk to School campaign received a limited edition Green Apple environment award.

Caroline McBride, who accepted the Green Apple award on behalf of Golding Homes, said: “We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of the partnership work that we do. We are really happy to support a number of the KM Charity Team events. They are really beneficial in terms of health and well being for the children but they allow them to get involved in a really fun way.”

Simon Dolby, chief executive of the KM Charity Team, said: “We are thrilled to officially recognise and thank our key partners. Their support enables us to run highly successful fundraising events for good causes as well as help to improve health, fitness and literacy in hundreds of schools.”

The KM Charity Team Partnership Awards ceremony was held at Hempstead House Hotel, Sittingbourne on Friday, February 26.

The Walk to School campaign includes the projects Walk on Wednesday (WOW), Active Bug and Green Footsteps. In November, the KM Charity Team received its fifth Green Apple award in ten years as a result of the campaign’s positive impact on the environment.

For more information, visit www.kmcharityteam.co.uk.

• Businesses interested in supporting the KM Charity Team’s work with schools or charities should contact Simon Dolby on 07989 164752 or email sdolby@thekmgroup.co.uk.