TBE Awards | Meet the Finalists: Mentoring Plus & Off the Record

Mentoring Plus and Off The Record are joint finalists in the Thrings TBE Awards Charity / Not-for-Profit of the Year category, sponsored by Given Gain.

The two B&NES youth charities work in partnership with community organisations, including The Bath 5k Map, Bathscape and Walk Bath, to help people of all ages improve wellbeing through time in nature, while raising funds to support young people’s mental health.

Over the past two years, the partnership has delivered a range of nature-themed fundraising events and collectively raised more than £19,000, with funds divided equally between the two charities to help young people aged 5–25 facing challenges feel safe, heard, and hopeful for their future.

We spoke to Bex Shreeve from Mentoring Plus and James Brown, Development Manager at Off The Record, about the partnership and the 2025 TBE Awards.

Why did you enter the 2025 TBE Awards?

Anita and the TBE team have been brilliant champions of charities across our region and have provided great support to our two organisations over the past two years. The TBE Awards have always looked like an incredible celebration, and with our partnership in a strong place and nearly £20,000 raised to support young people’s mental health, we felt now was the perfect time to enter. We knew that submitting a joint nomination for Charity of the Year was a little different, so it’s wonderful that the judges embraced this and selected us as finalists.

What achievement are you most proud of in the past 12 months?

This is only our second year working together, and while we’re very proud of everything we’ve achieved, a real highlight has been strengthening our partnership by welcoming our new partners, Bathscape and Walk Bath. Bringing them on board has helped us reach new audiences, increase participation in our events, and continue growing our fundraising efforts. We’ve now raised £19,000 for our two charities. Over the past year, we’ve worked together seamlessly, which we believe reflects the strong foundation we’ve built – one that we hope will carry us forward into 2026 and beyond.

What does being a finalist in the TBE Awards mean to you / your team?

For small organisations like ours, being finalists alongside charities such as Alabaré, Dorothy House, and Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance is truly an honour. We know it might sound a little cheesy to say it’s not about winning, but for us, receiving this recognition at this stage in our partnership has been such a boost and has inspired us to aim even higher next year. We also know that many charities like ours are facing challenges such as reduced funding and rising demand, so we hope that being finalists together shows how powerful collaboration can be in driving the impact needed to support those who rely on us.

What’s next for you – any exciting plans or goals on the horizon?

We’ve already started planning our fundraising events for next year and creating new opportunities to strengthen community engagement. We’re particularly keen to work in partnership with local schools to help young people and their families benefit from time in nature and support our work where they can. We’re also keen to offer opportunities for local businesses to enhance employee wellbeing, whether through tailored netwalking events or by taking part in next year’s Big BaNES 100k. However the calendar fills up, we remain committed to our goal of helping people of all ages improve their wellbeing through time in nature, while continuing to raise vital funds for our two charities.

If you win, how will you celebrate?

Both charities will be represented at the TBE Awards, and we’ll definitely raise a glass together then. Of course, we’ll also want to celebrate with our partners, The Bath 5k Map, Bathscape, and Walk Bath, so we’ll try to create another dose of TBE magic afterwards, hopefully over some good food and with some tunes in the background. It will be a great way to end our second year together!

To find out more about the TBE Awards and to book your Awards Night tickets, visit: tbeawards.co.uk