Jewson has announced the winners of its Building Better Communities competition, awarding 14 community projects across the UK a share of £100,000.

The 14 winners were invited to a Building Better Communities celebration event at the Greenworks Training Academy in Birmingham. Property expert and TV presenter, Sarah Beeny awarded prizes to the diverse list of projects, ranging from sport club pavilions and community theatres, to outdoor classrooms and food banks.

Launched in February, the Building Better Communities initiative is designed to boost community spirit up and down the country by asking projects to nominate themselves for the chance to win a share of £100,000.

Scooping the top £50,000 prize was Penlee RNLI Lifeboat Station in Penzance for its appeal to reconstruct the 31-year-old lifeboat base.

Elaine Trethowan, volunteer press officer at Penlee RNLI Lifeboat Station, said: “We are overjoyed to win the Building Better Communities competition. Our current lifeboat station is no longer fit for purpose. This prize from Jewson puts us a huge step closer to providing a station that not only gives our volunteer crew the facilities they deserve but serves the wider community too.”

Ms Beeny said: “It’s so important for members of a community to have places where they can gather and feel proud of. That’s why I’m honoured to support the Building Better Communities campaign from Jewson, which is focused on transforming small corners of people’s communities through local, sustainable building projects. The improvements we are making now will benefit not only people today but also communities of the future.”

David Fenton, marketing director at Jewson, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for the winners and we can’t wait to see the positive effect the prize money will have as we move into the build phase. We’d also like to thank everyone who got involved in the project, either by nominating, voting or spreading the word.”

The builders merchant narrowed down over 2,000 entries to a shortlist of 63 projects. The nominations were judged according to the following set of criteria: the legacy of the project; the sustainable products which were identified or could be used to improve the overall comfort of the building; the impact of the project; and the strength of the applications.

The prize money will help pay for supplies and labour to improve projects valued highly by communities across the country.