PALRAM PROUD TO BE AYCLIFFE’ S‘ COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS’
Aycliffe Business Make Your Mark Awards
COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS
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THE FINALISTS
Palram technologist John Scanlon received the Community Champions award from Kerina Clark, director of operations at category sponsor The Auckland Project.
PALRAM PROUD TO BE AYCLIFFE’ S‘ COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS’
Community projects – and even Christmas – wouldn’ t be the same without Palram
DPL.
A successful business in its own right, the Coatham Avenue-based PVC sheet maker also devotes time and expertise to several good causes – from creating a sensory room at Glow Church and transforming the Little Clubs nursery garden to providing PVC sheets for a Newton Aycliffe FC project and, for the past few years, providing a magical Santa’ s grotto.
Little wonder it was a popular winner of the Community Champions award – but technologist John Scanlon explained they weren’ t in it for the recognition.
John, sporting the night’ s nattiest shoes, told the 300-strong Hardwick Hall audience:“ This means a lot but we don’ t shout from the rooftops about what we do for the community.
“ Eighty-five per cent of our workforce live in this community so for us to give back, we just feel it’ s right. We do it and we’ ll continue to do it because this community is everything.”
John added:“ Not many people have probably heard of Palram to be fair, but as long as we know we’ re doing our bit, that’ s fine.”
Explaining how the Santa’ s grotto came about, he said Palram was approached by Community Spirit and Newton Aycliffe Police for a raffle prize.
He said:“ They said they held a grotto in the town centre but it was just an 8x4 shed and Santa sitting there.
“ Peter, the plant manager, said,‘ if you want a grotto, we’ ll build you a grotto’ and we’ ve done it for the last three years. And we’ ll continue to do it as long as people want us to.
“ We don’ t go out there looking for people. Our name is getting heard so charities come to us.
“ If we can help them, we will, but sometimes we can’ t. And we don’ t throw money at people because there are so many good causes, who do you throw money at?
“ But we do use the skills and resources we’ ve got to give them something else.”
And John says helping their community means the world to Palram’ s 85 staff.
He added:“ It’ s seeing other people’ s faces, that’ s why we do it. The first grotto we ever did, the opening event was with the Five Acres centre.
“ Honestly, I was in tears – the kids’ faces meant everything. And it’ s in moments like that you think‘ yes, this is why we’ re doing it’.”
SISTERS OF SUPPORT
Sister of Support is a CIC, working with the police, social prescribers, early help and many more to deliver peer-to-peer mental health support and wellbeing activities, providing a free service to the women of the area that has become invaluable.
SOS provides sign-posting and referrals to the organisations who can financially support local women. Alongside this they run workshops within the groups.
They work to help women gain the confidence and self-esteem to help themselves and in turn help others. SOS is the first of its kind in the area and is going from strength to strength.
ALP ACTIVE AT GREENFIELD ACADEMY ALP Active at Greenfield Academy has seen remarkable growth over the past 18 months.
The academy has become a thriving community hub for sport and leisure outside school hours, welcoming more people each week to a diverse range of activities.
By securing external funding and working closely with partner clubs, ALP Active continuously enhances its offerings to better serve the local community.
Its successful model not only increases participation to benefit the local communities’ health and wellbeing, but also ensures long-term investment into facility improvements, creating a highquality experience for everyone involved.
PREVIOUS WINNERS 2024: PIONEERING CARE PARTNERSHIP 2018: PLANET LEISURE 2016: DISC 2015: NEWTON PRESS 2014: THRIVE
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