|TOP|The founder and president of Christian relief charity ROPE has been awarded the prestigious Beacon Special Prize, dubbed by Chancellor Gordon Brown as “The Nobel Prize for the Charity World”.

Michael Wood was among the 16 award winners chosen to receive the award this year for their exceptional philanthropic contribution through the giving of time, money and skills in order to benefit specific charitable causes.

Other award winners this year include John Bird, The Big Issue founder, and Paul and Diana Lamplugh for their work with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, created after the disappearance of their daughter in 1986.

Chairman of the Beacon Fellowship Charitable Trust, Martyn Lewis CBE, notes: "We are thrilled to have such a diverse and accomplished group of winners for the 2005/6 Beacon Prize.

|AD|“Each in their own way exemplifies the Beacon goal of encouraging others to give of their own resources, be it through time, money or skills, in order to benefit charitable causes.”

He said of Mr Wood in particular: “It is fitting that the award for Beacon Special Prize goes to a remarkable man as Michael.

“His generosity towards those less fortunate makes this award thoroughly deserved.”

Previous recipients of the award include Sir Bob Geldof, Jamie Oliver and Zac Goldsmith.

Mr Wood said: “I am delighted to have won this Prize for a project about which I care so much, and which I have worked so hard to develop.

“I hope that the Prize will help ROPE to continue its wonderful work for a long time to come.”

The prize ceremony will take place in November when the winners will be inaugurated as Beacon Fellows.

At the ceremony, the overall Beacon Prize winner will also be announced and he or she will receive £30,000 to donate to a charitable cause of his or her choice.

ROPE is a ministry that works to bring God’s love, compassion and hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable people through direct action in personal giving in some 80 countries.

Just some of the people that ROPE provides grassroots support for are widows, orphans, refugees, the sick, the homeless and the unemployed.