How your happiness awards nomination helps others

Here at the National Happiness Awards we’re not just about fancy events, Perspex trophies, free booze and hot buffets. We have a higher purpose. Our mission in life is to celebrate happiness, recognise the individuals and organisations that best create happiness and share the secrets of what makes people and places happy.

We know through research that one of the themes of happiness is support – both giving support to others and having supportive networks and people to rely on. As we are a Community Interest Company, we endeavour to provide support using our assets for social good. We do this in two ways; by sharing information about happiness and wellbeing and by raising money for good causes.

This year, money raised through the raffle and auction held on the night of the awards will be donated to Haven House Children’s Hospice.

Running a national award scheme with a philanthropic ethos isn’t cheap. Luckily we have sponsors who help towards the costs of organising and hosting a major event, but each year our parent company, Laughology, still spends over £10,000 to ensure the National Happiness Awards happen. Commercially this doesn’t make any sense. If we presented our business model to Alan Sugar, we’d be kicked out the Apprentice boardroom faster than you could say ‘fame hungry, attention-seeking failed businessperson’.

But that doesn’t matter, because we’re not in for the bucks. We could do what other profit-making awards do and charge small fortunes for nominations and attendance, but we don’t. We charge a minimal fee for some nomination categories, hand out plenty of free places for shortlisted finalists and charge peanuts for other guests. The aforementioned booze and buffet combo is free.

The small fee we do request doesn’t line the pockets of a fat cat, sitting in a marble-floored office in the National Happiness Awards (which is actually a shed in a garden). Instead your entrance fee helps with the admin costs of the awards. It allows us to be able to survive and so secure raffle prizes and auction lots, which will then be turned into cash on the night for our charity. So, by making a nomination, and paying the teeny-weeny fee in the select categories where a charge applies, you are helping us to help families, children and young people in times of need at Haven house children’s hospice. It’s a virtuous circle of happiness.

Remember it is FREE to nominate Happiest school employee, Happiest young person or child and Happiest workplace employee and Happiest team.