South West Media Awards sponsor EDF Energy is relishing the chance the contest offers to further boost its commitment to the community.

The Awards, being run in association with HoldtheFrontPage, close for entries next week and have a presentation event in Bristol on June 16.

The man who makes things happen for the company, Derek Lickorish, revels in the fact that EDF Energy has a proud history of backing events and charities which matter to communities across the region.

It is already involved in the Bristol Harbour Festival, and now EDF Energy has moved to back the South West Media Awards.

Derek, the chief customer operations officer, said the important thing was for the company to put something back into the communities in which it operates.

He said: “We are a huge business, spending more than £3bn a year, so it is important that we invest not only in the business but in the communities as well. That is why we have come up with £12,000 to sponsor the South West Media Awards.

“The South West has a lot going for it and it is an opportunity for the region to show its intellectual capital in the media. We also want to show that what’s going on the West Country is important.

“When you look at what goes on around Bristol, it is plain that the city is the engine room of the economy of the South West and bringing it together, at whatever level you can, gives it a cohesion and a greater strength which otherwise would have been lacking.

“Hopefully, the awards will provide an avenue and enthusiasm for all sections of the media in the region to demonstrate what they can do in their work. There are some very creative people in the South West and who knows where it will end. I have lived here a long time and we can take this as a model and possibly expand it if it feels that it warrants it — my instinct is that it will grow beyond the South West.”

In addition to its work in the south west, EDF Energy has put £1m into the London 2012 Olympic bid.

Derek said: “We believe that leadership role is important and will benefit not just London but the whole of the UK including the South West.”

But the company is not just about sponsoring major events, it takes its corporate social responsibilities very seriously and actively encourages its staff to take part in charitable work.

He said: “As a business, we are dedicated to meeting the needs of our many types of customers.

“But EDF Energy’s goals are much broader than that; for example we are also committed to helping the communities in which our customers and our employees live and work.

“We want to be a good neighbour, and welcome in the communities in which we operate.

“We endeavour to be a good neighbour in a number of different ways — through our work with communities directly impacted by our operations, for example, close to our power stations; and through our support for issues in our local communities that our customers tell us are important to them.

“For many years this has focused on helping young people to make the most of their lives.

“There’s also our support for a national charity partner, currently Mencap

“Our employees play a central role in this. EDF Energy enables them to each make an individual difference through our award-winning volunteering programme, Helping Hands, where we offer every employees two days paid leave to get involved in the community.”