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MLS and the Sharks have been ‘Highly Commended’ in Business in the Community's (BITC) National Power in Partnership awards for the work they do with all areas of the community.

The announcement came on Thursday September 22nd with leading exponents of community partnerships in the country at an awards ceremony in Leeds last night (Thursday September 22).

The Sharks and MLS have been named alongside multi-national companies and institutions such as the Inland Revenue, HBOS and Laing O'Rourke in Business in the Community's (BITC) Power in Partnership awards as 'highly commended' for the work they do with all areas of the community.

Director of MLS John Timms, who heads many of the Sharks and MLS's community projects, said: "The award is testament to the hard work of the Sharks players and staff at MLS. We know we're not the biggest sporting club in the city, but what we are good at is creating partnerships right across the board to link businesses with the community.

"It's common sense that working together enables you to deliver far more than working in isolation. We have delivered projects as diverse as those aimed at primary school children to those which have helped the homeless of Sheffield," he said.

The Sharks and MLS have won Sheffield's Business Awards for best community projects for the past two years, but this national recognition has delighted everyone connected with the organisations according to Timms.

"Apart from the Sheffield award we have also received the BITC Big Tick mark regionally. This year we were selected among five companies to be judged as national models of good practice for working in the community.

We're just a small business and we're up against these major national companies with huge networks across the whole country. We knew we'd been working well, we just wasn't sure how it was going to be judged. To be 'highly commended' has thrilled everyone."

The Sharks and MLS work with 22 partners on a variety of projects. HSBC sponsors the community programme and also fronts a numeracy programme call Hoops Hysteria.

The partners are: Sheffield City Council, Rotherham MBC, Barnsley MBC, Doncaster BCI, HSBC, Department for Education and Skills, Sheffield College, South East Sheffield PCT, Barnsley PCT, Specsavers, Sportsmatch, Sheffield International Venues, Westfield Health, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, Business in the Community, Liberata, Corus, Sheffield Cathedral, Barclays and South Yorkshire Police.

Timms said: "HSBC has been a fantastic support to us. They have enabled us to carry out bigger and better projects. We now want to keep on increasing the size of our schemes so we can get to even more people."

One of the most high profile partnerships has been with Sheffield Cathedral and it's Breakfast and Archer homeless project.

The Sharks have played two charity matches at the Hallam FM Arena to raise funds for an extension to the cathedral to house its work with the vulnerable and disadvantaged of the region.

The Dean of Sheffield, The Very Reverend Peter Bradley said: "The partnerships with MLS and the Sharks have been invaluable. We have been working together for some time now to take care of those in our society who have fallen on hard times by raising the money needed to build a new centre for the homeless and disadvantaged people of our city.

"Business and community partnerships make so much sense, and so much good can be done. It is a great achievement for MLS and the Sharks to be recognised nationally in this way and we look forward to continuing our relationship into the future."

MLS and the Sharks are hosting an event in the Chapter House at Sheffield Cathedral at 11am on Friday, September 23 to which the media are invited for interviews, photographs and filming.

Parchments signed by Prince Charles will be presented by MLS and the Sharks to their community and business partners as a thank you for their help in the various projects and programmes.