Lender to good causes among King's Award winners

A bank that lends money to organisations that drive positive social change says it is "incredibly proud" after receiving a King's Award for Enterprise.

Charity Bank has received the award in the sustainability category for its "commitment to sustainable finance" and support for groups addressing inequality and climate change.

Ed Siegel, chief executive of the Tonbridge-based bank, said the recognition reflected "Charity Bank's long standing commitment to using finance as a force for good".

Ocean Signal and Kentec Electronics were the other firms based in the county to receive the award on Wednesday.

Charity Bank was founded in 2001 to use savers' money to provide loans to UK charities and other organisations working to drive positive social change.

The award "recognises a model of banking that combines financial resilience with measurable social and environmental impact", Siegel said.

The King's Award for Enterprise, administered by Buckingham Palace and the government, is in its 60th year and has four categories.

Winners can advertise themselves as award holders for five years.

Ocean Signal, founded in 2010 in Margate, received its award in the innovation category after developing a "ground-breaking" PLB3 personal locator beacon.

The device, for contacting rescue services in an emergency, was the first such product to include a maritime tracking technology called Automatic Identification System.

James Hewitt, managing director at the company, said developing the device was a "unique challenge with significant barriers to overcome".

"We are therefore incredibly grateful to receive the King's Award recognition for the PLB3 and will use it as powerful inspiration for our continued work in improving safety at sea," he said.

Kentec received its award in the international trade category for "exporting British designed safety technology to customers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and beyond".

The company, based in Dartford, is a manufacturer of control panels for fire safety systems.

"It's wonderful for everyone at Kentec to have their efforts recognised," said managing director Kevin Swann.

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