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Leamington Business Awards – winners announced

Posted on March 21, 2022 by admin

Leamington Business Awards,Jonathan Smith,Matt Western MP, Talk Business UK — The winners of the Leamington Business Awards 2021. Photo by John Cleary.

CELEBRATING success was the theme of the seventh Leamington Business Awards which returned to a live event for the first time in three years.

Eleven winners were finally unveiled on Friday after being chosen from more than 180 nominations.

The ceremony, hosted by DJ – and Leamingtonian – Kirsty Leahy, took place at 1 Mill Street following a meal at The Drawing Board. It marked the completion of two stages of the Awards which earlier recognised COVID Business Resilience, Business Pivoting and Lockdown Heroes of 2020/21.

More than £1,000 was also raised through a raffle on the night which is being divided between the three finalists in the South Warwickshire Charity of the Year category – Molly Ollys, Safeline and Brunswick Hub.

Established in 2014 and now organised by Jonathan Smith, of Talk Business UK, the LBAs champion and celebrate the work of local businesses, individuals and organisations.

Jonathan said: “More so than ever, the judges were inspired by the resilience and ingenuity local businesses have shown in dealing with the pandemic and coming out the other side stronger and even more determined.

“It was a delight to read all the entries and learn so much more about the local individuals and their businesses and how they adapted and developed and used the challenges of the past two years to develop themselves, their people and their services.

“With businesses and organisations concentrating on getting their businesses and teams back up to speed, we decided to postpone the planned awards deadlines into 2022 and host the awards presentation in March. This was definitely the right decision as the volume and quality of entries we received for this year’s awards blew us away.”

The winners were chosen by a panel of five judges, including Roger Scott of Lloyds Bank and Sarah Windrum the Chair or the CWLEP and announced at a dinner and awards ceremony at The Drawing Board and 1 Mill Street in Leamington, on Friday, (March 18^th). Each winner received a bespoke award designed by 3D design student, Ollie Hill from Warwickshire College.

Guest of honour Matt Western MP, gave a short speech in which he also acknowledged the war in Ukraine.

He said: “It’s very difficult for me not to think and talk about Ukraine. And I want to say to those businesses and organisations who have made things happen in the last few weeks, thank you, because Leamington has done some special things, including everything that’s been going on at the Polish Mission and elsewhere. I think about what it would be like for that sort of atrocity to come and destroy our town and appreciate more than ever just how precious it is. And it’s precious because of people like you.

“I had a niece who was in Kyiv right up until a couple of days before the Russian invasion. What we have – our lives, our relationships and our community, are so very important and that’s why I’m so grateful we can have events like this again so we can all share in the recognition of the special people in our community.”

He went on to add: “All the finalists here tonight are great examples of the wonderful businesses we have in Leamington district and I’m very passionate about keeping our towns together. Without our town centres, without those areas where people come together – for the contact, for the trade, to consume, and share ideas and opportunities, we have nothing so they’re so important to our psyche and our prosperity as well.”

Brunswick Hub receive the South Warwickshire Charity of the Year Award from Matt Western MP. Photo by John Cleary.

WINNERS:

Outstanding achievement (Sponsored by the Leamington Courier)

Winner: Vogue International

Judges’ comments: “Vogue and Liz have committed to the town for over three decades and played a crucial part in the fabric of Leamington on a local and global stage. Vogue, shows significant international achievement in their industry over an extended period of time along with contribution to local charity.

Leamington Business Awards, Matt Western MP, 1Mill Street, Jonathan Smith — Aubrey Allen receives Employer of the Year Award. Photo by John Cleary.

Employer of the Year (Sponsored by Leap People Solutions)

Winner: Aubrey Allen

Judges’ comments: “Aubrey Allen are clearly a business that take care of their team, have strong values that they live by every day, and they support their team on their own paths to success and greatness through the awards they have picked up.

New Business of the Year (Sponsored by Lodders Solicitors LLP)

Winner: Caremark Warwick

Judges’ comments: “Caremark has set up the business in a challenging sector during the pandemic, showing strong growth and employment and providing a valuable service to the local community.”

Business and the Community Award (Sponsored by BID Leamington)

Winner: Make Good Grow

Judges’ comments: “Make Good Grow are looking at business and community in a totally new, more innovative way, creating connections between the needs of charities and the expert providers of these services and skills.”

Independent Business of the Year (Sponsored by HB&O)

Winner: Modern Homes

Judges’ comments: “Loved the Covid hero competition as well as their business resilience and agility over the last two years. Great story about finding a new supplier on Zoom!”

Customer Service Excellence Award (Sponsored by The Box Factory)

Winner: WDC Art Section

Judges’ comments: “Impressive year on year improvement in customer feedback, strong focus on training and implementation of a creative range of ways to provide good service and measure feedback. The team will often be a visitor’s first interaction in our town and it is crucial for the wider business economy that their welcome is warm to keep people coming back!”

South Warwickshire Freelancer of the Year (Sponsored by Beyond The Book)

Winner: Washington Levi Music

Creative Business of the Year (Sponsored by Fresh Seed)

Winner: Motionhouse

Judges’ comments: “Bringing dance to the masses for over 30 years using the latest technologies and gymnastic skills makes the choice of Motionhouse as Creative Business of the Year a simple one.

Innovation of the Year (Sponsored by Glued)

Winner: Nimbus Maps

Leamington Business Awards, Jonathan Smith, 1 Mill Street — Nimbus Maps receives the Innovation of the Year Award. Photo by John Cleary.

South Warwickshire Charity of the Year

Winner: Brunswick Hub

Business of Year (Sponsored by ActionCOACH)

Winner: Motionhouse

Judges’ comments: “They have made an enormous impact on Leamington, the region and around the world. From the award applications, Motionhouse has done the most for the region, as well as putting Leamington on the map.”

The previous winners of the first phase of the awards were:

Business Resilience Award:
WINNER: CJ’s Events, Warwick
This award went to a business that has demonstrated determination and resilience throughout the pandemic and tackled challenges head-on.

Business Pivot Award:

WINNER: Heartbreak Productions, Leamington
This category was open to any business that could demonstrate how they have ‘pivoted’ their product or service during the pandemic.

Lockdown Hero Award:
WINNER: Baabzi Takeaway, Warwick
This award recognised the Leamington business that has gone ‘above and beyond’ during 2020. The business may have provided products to vulnerable groups free of charge, offered their services pro-bono to struggling local businesses or individuals, or spread positivity during challenging times.

Children’s charity refused COVID emergency cash

Posted on May 26, 2020May 26, 2020 by admin

THE founder of a Warwick charity for children with terminal and life-limiting illnesses is appealing for vital support after missing out on emergency cash to ease the impact of the pandemic to the tune of £250,000.

Many charitable organisations are learning they don’t qualify for grants due to a number of loopholes despite applications for smaller charity grants opening.

Molly Olly’s Wishes was established in 2011 following the death of Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw’s eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer.

The Hatton Park-based charity helps with the emotional wellbeing of the children and their families as well as granting wishes and donating therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw with the familiar Molly Olly’s pink van.

It is forecast up to £250,000 in proceeds will be lost to their coffers with fundraising events wiped from the calendar due to COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, including the charity’s biggest event of the year, the Molly Olly Ball, in November.

Last month Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a UK COVID-19 support package worth £750m, including a dedicated £370m for small local charities.

In a live speech to the nation, Mr Sunak said: “Some charities provide critical services to support the vulnerable people and communities. For them, shutting up shop at this moment would be to contravene their very purpose, their entire reason to exist. Those charities have never been more needed than they are now and they’ve never faced such a sudden fall in their funding.

“Some £370m of the funding will support small local charities working with vulnerable people. We all know who they are, those small charities in our village, our market towns, in pockets of our cities, the unsung heroes looking after the vulnerable and holding together our social fabric.

Despite struggling to qualify for the cash lifeline, Molly Olly’s founder Rachel Ollerenshaw says the work to provide vital support must continue.

She said: “Children and families need our support now more than ever. The wishes that the charity grants, the consultant based at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that the charity funds, the Olly The Brave packs distributed to hospitals across the UK – all have a significant positive impact for the children and their families.

“Organisations such as the local children’s community nursing team have turned to us through the pandemic for help connecting with families and a new webpage has been designed by them which will be hosted by Molly Olly’s.

“The work of Molly Olly’s is considered to be relevant and significant by the health professionals and individuals for supporting children with life-threatening illnesses and needs to be maintained.

“Large and small charities work together to improve the lives of children and the virus does not make these children any less vulnerable.”

She added: “Sometimes the work of smaller charities can be overlooked and thought to be less significant. However, from our experience and knowing the work that other small charities do, our belief is that we are all part of a larger jigsaw here to help support vulnerable children through extremely challenging times.”

Having gained its charity status in 2012, Molly Olly’s has so far helped more than 2,000 children from new-born to age 18 by granting individual wishes. They may take the form of equipment to help a child live day to day with their condition; an alternative therapy treatment to complement traditional medicine, or even a special occasion or day out.

Mascot of the charity is a therapeutic toy lion called Olly The Brave who has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy. These form part of an Olly The Brave pack that has now been handed out to more than 40 hospitals, along with a book from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series.

Some 30 children a week in the UK are given a cancer diagnosis, and more are told that they have a life-threatening or terminal illness in one form or another. Many of these, especially those diagnosed with leukaemia will be under five years old.

Warwick MP Matt Western is taking up the charity’s case. He said this week: ‘‘I’m deeply disappointed that local charity Molly Olly’s has been denied Government support, given all that they do to help children with terminal and life-limiting illnesses, and their families.’

“There are many amazing charities in Warwick and Leamington that work tirelessly year-round to help residents in need of support, and many have gone above and beyond during this crisis. But to continue this work, charities are in urgent need of financial assistance. I am urging the Government to step up and provide a comprehensive support package to the sector, so that charities like Molly Olly’s don’t fall through the cracks.”

Rachel Ollerenshaw added: “These remain worrying and uncertain times and we need, more than ever, to pull together and support the most vulnerable. If everyone reading this made a small donation it could make a big difference.”

Further information about Molly Olly’s Wishes or details of how to donate can be found at: www.mollyolly.co.uk or contact Rachel on 07747 854914.

Read a case study for Molly Olly’s Wishes here.

Not-so-fast food for special delivery

Posted on March 12, 2019March 12, 2019 by admin

SCHOOLCHILDREN tucked into a hearty full English breakfast at Hatton Adventure World in Warwick alongside a special guest.

Some 27 six- and seven-year-old pupils were collected from Ferncumbe Church of England School in Hatton on Monday and transported by tractor and open-top trailer to the farm park attraction, where they learnt about the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast, while enjoying locally sourced bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, baked beans and wholemeal toast.

Breakfast was served by local farmers and members of the Warwickshire branch of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). And the children were joined by Matt Western, MP for Leamington and Warwick, who also met with local farmers.

Matt Western, MP for Leamington & Warwick said, “I enjoyed meeting the children and eating breakfast with them after a very productive meeting with local farmers to discuss the big issues in our community”.

Chris Mann, NFU Branch Chairman, Central Warwickshire said “The NFU are pleased to encourage children to eat a good hearty breakfast. Going to school having eaten a nutritious breakfast gives children many health benefits and helps them perform well in the classroom”.

Kerri Grubb, a teacher from Ferncumbe School, said: “It’s great to have Hatton Adventure World on our doorstep and for children to visit the Farmyard so they can appreciate the link between the animals they feed and the healthy food they eat”.

After breakfast the children were accompanied around the Farmyard to feed and pet the animals.

Hatton Adventure World is open every day throughout the year (excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day) from 10am to 5.30pm. For more information please visit the website at www.hattonworld.com/adventure-world