(Published 14 October 2024)

Mum’s Guide To Limited (“MGT”) is launching their ninth awards to celebrate Mum’s guide to Harpenden (“the Awards”).

Nominations

1. Nominations are open to businesses, individuals or organisations which offer an activity, service or product to the public and which fit one of the award categories set out in clause 2 below.

2. The 8 award categories (“8 Award Categories”) open for nominations are:

a) Best Activity Class or Group for Under 5s: award for the best activity class or group for children under 5, including parent and toddler groups.

b) Best Activity Class or Group for School-Age Children: award for the best activity class, group or club for children of school age, either primary or secondary school.

c) Best Holiday Club or Class: award for the best club, class or camp that runs during the school holidays for children in any age group.

d) Best Pre/Post Natal Support Service: award for the business, individual or organisation that provides the best service for pre or post-natal mothers, and can include anything to do with pregnancy and post-pregnancy, including groups and classes.

e)  Best Party and Celebrations Provider: award for the business or individual that provides the best venue, entertainment or party-related product (e.g. cakes, catering, decorations, tableware).

f) Most Family-Friendly Café/Restaurant/Pub: award for the café, restaurant or pub which caters best for families.

g) Best Local Event: Award for the best local event that caters for families and children.

h) Best Local Independent Business: award for the independent business (not already covered by another category) that provides the best service or product of (not necessarily child-related) to local parents.

3. With the exception of clause 2 (g) above, all nominated businesses, individuals or organisations MUST be located or operate or provide their business, service or product in Harpenden and the surrounding villages (Kinsbourne Green, Redbourn, Childwickbury, Wheathampstead, Gustard Wood, Mackerye End).  In relation to clause 2(g) the event must take place within 10 miles from the centre of Harpenden.  

4. In relation to the Best Local Independent Business in clause 2(h) above, the business must be privately owned (not a public company), be free from outside control (so, for example, cannot be a franchise or a Multilevel Marketing business), and must operate in Harpenden and the surrounding villages as defined in clause 3. 

5.  If any nominations are received for businesses, individuals or organisations which, in the opinion of MGT, do not satisfy the criteria set out in clauses 2, 3 and 4 above the nomination will be excluded. The decision of MGT is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

6.  Nominations for the 8 Award Categories will open on 14 October 2024 and will close at 23.59 GMT on 1 November 2024.

7.  A person cannot nominate themselves or a business or organisation in which they are employed or associated.

8. Nominations can be made by completing a nomination form on https://www.mumsguideto.co.uk/harpenden/  website (“the Website”).

9. Comments included in nomination forms about a business, individual or organisation may be passed on by MGT to the relevant business, individual or organisation.  However, no name will be associated with those comments.   

10.  There are no minimum or maximum nomination requirements; it is possible to nominate just one business, organisation or individual in just one category, or several businesses, organisations and/or individuals in a number of categories.

11. Businesses, organisations and individuals may be nominated in more than one category as long as they satisfy the relevant criteria set out in clauses 2, 3 and 4 above.

Successful Nominees and Champion of Champions Award

12. Successful nominees will be determined by the number of nominations they have received. Those with the most nominations will proceed to the voting stage of the Awards. 

13. MGT will publish a list of the successful nominees from  the 8 Award Categories on the Website in the week commencing 4 November 2024.

14. Nominees should notify MGT by 23.59 GMT on 8 November 2024 by email at mums@mumsguideto.co.uk if they do not want to be part of the Awards.

Voting

15. Voting for the Awards will commence on 11 November 2024 and will be via an online form (available only from 11 November 2024) on the Website.

16. Voting for the Awards will close at 23.59 GMT on 29 November 2024 (“the Closing Date”). 

17. A person cannot vote for themselves or a business or organisation in which they are employed or associated.

18.  MGT is committed to ensuring the Awards are fair. Only one vote per category per person (not per email address) is permitted.  Additional votes cast by the same person from a different email address will be discounted.  MGT will police this as far as is possible through collection of names, email addresses, date & time of voting, and the IP address of the computer/server that each vote originates from. The IP address information is not traceable back to individuals or their locations and will be destroyed after the voting process has been completed and verified.   If a person attempts to vote more than once in any category or MGT believe a person has been given an incentive by the successful nominee to vote in a particular way their vote(s) will be discounted.   Similarly, if MGT identify suspicious and/or fraudulent voting they will take the decision, based on as much evidence as possible, whether or not to disqualify the successful nominee from the Awards.    The decision of MGT is final and no correspondence will be entered into. 

19. Administration of the nominations and voting process is undertaken solely by Alison Fox, Carol Rule and Angela Woodhead of MGT.  Katie Fenner of MGT will not be involved in administration of the Awards due to a potential conflict of interest.

20. Nominations received at the nominations stage are NOT carried forward to the voting stage.

Award Winners

21. Events may occur that render the completion of the Awards impossible due to reasons beyond the control of MGT and accordingly MGT may at their absolute discretion vary or amend the Awards, or not make an award in a certain category, and no liability shall attach to MGT as a result thereof.

22. There will be no prizes for the winners’ of the Awards, but certificates will be awarded to the winners and the names of the winners will be released to the local media and/or featured in associated articles written either by MGT or other interested parties.

23. Winners of the Awards will be those with the most votes in their category and the winners will, where possible, be announced via the Website and via Mum’s guide to Harpenden’s Social Media pages in the week commencing 2 December 2024. If events occur which cause any sort of delay to the announcement, winners will be announced as soon as possible after 2 December 2024.

General

24.  These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law and the Courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction.

25. MGT is a company registered in England and Wales under number 08045592 whose registered office is at 17 Park Avenue South, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2DZ.

26. By nominating and/or voting the nominator/voter agrees to be bound by these terms and conditions, MGT’s Terms of Use including the Privacy Policy.  All personal data provided by the nominator/voter is governed in accordance with the Privacy Policy.