SPONSORED BY KATMEX
UNSUNG HERO
FINALIST
LOU TONNER ( WANDER FILMS )
Hero – MFC Foundation co-ordinator Paul South ( right ) picks up the Unsung Hero award from Katmex managing director Lee Cranston .
WINNER
PAUL SOUTH ( MIDDLESBROUGH FC )
Middlesbrough FC loves to celebrate its football heroes – but now it ’ s celebrating one of its less heralded “ stars ” after charity champion Paul South won the Unsung Hero category .
Born and bred in Middlesbrough , Paul is a health coordinator for the Boro ’ s own charity , the MFC Foundation . He is a big part of the Football Welcomes project , helping people new to the area or country integrate and feel part of the Teesside community by playing football together and enjoying social time afterwards .
And after receiving his Katmex-sponsored award , he admitted : “ I ’ m overwhelmed – I didn ’ t expect that at all . I ’ m really shocked .
“ I ’ ve been a Boro fan all my life . It sounds really corny but it ’ s a dream come true , working for the club .”
Paul coordinates the “ FitBORO ” programme , using the MFC brand to encourage men and women to lose weight and improve their health through exercise .
He also leads the foundation ’ s matchday activities , giving up his weekends to provide hundreds of opportunities to local children .
He added : “ We ’ ve been very lucky . Over the years I ’ ve been with the foundation , we ’ ve had plenty of players involved with the projects we do .
“ Just this season , we had Dael Fry come to our FitBORO session – he came to the stadium on a cold Monday evening and worked out with the guys .
“ We ’ ve got such a reach over the community and so many schemes for young people and adults , whether it be through sport education or sports participation , so there are lots of exciting things to come .”
Lou is the co-founder and chief operating officer at Wander Films , a multi-award-winning content marketing and video production company , based on Middlesbrough ’ s Albert Road and known for creating next-level visual content for brands to # beatthescroll .
Part of a dedicated team of 18 , Lou ’ s main roles are to ensure everything runs smoothly , as well as overseeing finance and HR . And while her partner ( in business and life ), CEO Chloë Clover , is the one people may know , having been crowned Tees Businesswoman of the Year and named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list , Lou prefers to be behind the scenes .
Passionate about Wander and inspiring the next generation , Lou works closely with colleges and universities and is often a guest lecturer , encouraging people to follow their dreams to help retain fresh talent in the region .
Lou leads by example , is always approachable and delivers regular training to consistently upskill the production department . She also oversees HR and has regular development meetings with the team to ensure they ’ re always progressing and learning .
But as much as Lou will do anything to help the company and the team , if she can just crack on without worrying about interviews and photoshoots , then she is happy ! Without her input , drive and encouragement , however , Wander wouldn ’ t be half of what it is today .
SPONSOR ’ S MESSAGE
Lee Cranston , managing director of Katmex , said : “ The nominees in the category all demonstrated great work in their respective organisations and communities , which made it very difficult to shortlist . However , Paul South was presented with the award , and he is someone who has helped improve the wellbeing of others through his work , but also outside of it .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 41