IN BRIEF
NEO COMMUNITY HOLIDAY ACTIVITY & FOOD PROGRAMME WINS TOP AWARD
RICHARDSONS HEALTHCARE RECEIVES ROYAL AWARDS
Wirral-based Neo Community has been chosen as the North West winner of the Department for Education Holiday Activities and Food ( HAF ) award .
The charity has been providing a HAF club for Wirral families since the pilot scheme in 2018 , delivering exciting and enriching activities , and providing nutritious meals to children and young people in receipt of free school meals .
The HAF programme , which is funded by the Department for Education , is co-ordinated by Edsential Community Interest Company on behalf of Wirral Council , with Edsential responsible for distributing the funds to a host of organisations across the borough .
Following the successful pilot , the programme was rolled out across the country in 2021 , with Neo Community continuing to deliver outstanding vital service to families in Wirral right up to the present day , with a host of exciting HAF activities planned for the summer months and beyond . As well as being recognised as regional winners of the HAF award , Neo Community are now also finalists in the national awards , with winners expected to be revealed at an awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament on 17th June 2024 .
Ema Wilkes , CEO of Neo Community , said : “ We are immensely proud of this achievement . We were part of a small collective that campaigned and championed the HAF programme , working closely with Frank Field and his team to get to the reading of the ‘ Holiday Hunger Bill in 2018 ’. We were invited to the Houses of Parliament to see the reading of the bill , and this was the start of the HAF journey for Neo Community and so many other incredible community groups and schools . It has been a life-changing programme for so many families and we will continue to deliver the programme and fight for its continuation , because we see the positive impact first-hand .”
“ We would like to thank the amazing team at Edsential and Wirral Council who have allowed us to develop this partnership further and continue to fly the flag for levelling the playing field and working towards fighting inequalities across our communities . We never work in isolation , and we are proud to be part of an incredible community network across Wirral .”
Every year each local authority is invited to nominate one organisation from their list of HAF clubs for the prestigious award .
Richardsons Healthcare of Bootle has achieved a remarkable feat by clinching not just one , but two prestigious Royal Awards for Enterprise . Following their 2019 triumph with the Queen ' s Award for Enterprise for their outstanding exporting , Richardsons has once again made headlines with their latest achievement . On May 6th , it was announced that the company has been honoured with the King ' s Award for Enterprise , recognizing their exceptional growth in exporting .
Specializing in the manufacture of specialist operating table mattresses and accessory pads for leading medical device companies worldwide , Richardsons has established a strong presence in key markets such as the United States , various European countries , and even extending to regions as distant as China and Australia . The surge in overseas sales post-COVID has been particularly noteworthy , with the US market playing a pivotal role in driving the company ' s exceptional growth . Under the leadership of Managing Director Michael Gould from Wirral , Richardsons has witnessed a near doubling of turnover and more than doubled profits over the span of two years . Reflecting on this rapid expansion , Gould remarked , " It ' s been a busy time ."
The significance of winning another Royal Award , this time the King ' s Award for Enterprise , cannot be overstated . According to Gould , it serves as a morale booster for the entire staff at Richardsons , validating their hard work and dedication to excellence . Gould further commented “ winning the UK ’ s most prestigious business award gives a small company such as ours real legitimacy in the eyes of potential customers and suppliers , it ’ s an important ingredient in our desire to sell more overseas ” The Award builds on the company ’ s achievement in 2023 of becoming certified for the quality management standard for medical device companies of ISO13485 . The recognition culminates in a Royal reception at Windsor Castle in early July , where Michael Gould , alongside fellow King ' s Award recipients , will have the honour of attending . Subsequently , a reception will be hosted at the company ' s factory for the formal presentation of the Royal Grant of Appointment by the Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside , Mr . Mark Blundell .
Looking forward to the event , Gould expressed his anticipation of welcoming Mr . Blundell back , recalling his previous engagement with the company during the 2019 award ceremony . He fondly remembers Mr . Blundell ' s genuine interest in Richardsons and its staff , emphasizing the significance of his continued support and involvement .
6 wirrallife . com