On 24th May CHIP held its first annual Charity & Awards Dinner at the Telford International Centre. The evening was attended by a range of CHIC’s members and supply chain partners, where we celebrated the social value support CHIP contributes to in the communities which CHIC operates.
120 guests enjoyed great food and company. They heard from the Chair of CHIP’s Trustees, Tracey O’Brien and from Fadzai Dzimwasha from Bounce Back. CHIP provides financial support to Bounce Back which focuses on the training and employment support for people in and leaving prison. Bounce Back work inside and outside of prisons, with a firm belief that everyone has the ability to change and deserves an opportunity to do so.
CHIP is grateful to all stakeholders who provide sponsorship and who supported the event, giving generously to help us raise funds for more social value support.
CHIP was proud to present four awards, that recognise the social value achievements of our partners, apprentices, and mentors. The nominations that we received were of a really high standard and were great examples of the programmes and achievements our partners support.
Social Value Employer of the Year – Winner and Runner-up
Bell Group was the justified winner of this award. They have built a fantastic programme to support their staff and apprentices, having a positive impact in communities in which they work. Bell Group delivered 203 work placements in 2022, of which they employed 101 apprentices. In 2023 they will succeed in delivering over 200 work placements with a commitment of offering over 50% of attendees a Bell apprenticeship commencing this summer. This award is a testament to the hard work and commitment of all of their staff. Congratulations Bell Group!
Aico was selected as a close ‘runner-up’. Aico builds strong partnerships with local community groups and organisations to deliver meaningful, long lasting social value and sustainable futures. Since the formation of their CSR initiative, Aico has made Community Donations of £803K, supported 245 projects; hosted 177 Educational visits; provided 873 hours of volunteering with £80k Colleague fundraising. A fantastic social value programme, with brilliant outcomes for the communities they have supported. Well done, Aico!
Apprentice of the Year – Winner and Runner-up
Trish Barnes at The Wrekin Housing Group very deservedly won this award, where she is training as an apprentice plasterer. Trish has proven to be an exceptional member of the Groups team, where she applies her efforts and her time to supporting others, outside of her apprentice role. “Trish has applied herself amicably to her plastering apprenticeship and is an admirable role model for females in Construction.” Trish stood out for this award due to always going above and beyond, for her own personal development and for the benefit of the organisation and providing excellent customer service. Huge congratulations to Trish!
Lucy Taylor, a trainee quantity surveyor at J Tomlinson won the runner-up award where despite joining the business during the Covid-19 pandemic, she has established herself to be a reliable member of the team and has grown in confidence. She takes the lead on contracts, uses her initiative to complete vital tasks and displays the key qualities of a team player, consistently embedding J Tomlinson’s ‘one team’ values and behaviours. Lucy’s eagerness to learn and grow is a testament to her ambition to progress within the industry. Well done Lucy.
High Achiever of the Year – Above & Beyond
Terri Walker, Customer Engagement Manager at J Tomlinson joined as a Resident Liaison Officer in 2020. After demonstrating exemplary customer support, she has been continually commended as a rising star within the company, being promoted after 18 months to Senior Resident Liaison Officer and a further promotion to Customer Engagement Manager in November 2022. Terri has delivered over 80 hours of school engagement sessions so far this year, often working above her working hours to support communities. She has worked tirelessly to develop strong working relationships with schools, colleges and universities to arrange employability events. A fantastic achievement for Terri in winning this award!
Mentor of the Year – Ian Winslet Award
This award was introduced by Helen Scurr, Director of ARK Consultancy. ARK sponsored the award in memory of Ian Winslet, a former colleague who passed away in late 2022 suffering from pancreatic cancer. Ian was a qualified coach and mentor.
Richard Orders, Senior Category Manager at Platform Housing Group won this award based on his support and commitment to apprentices within his team. “Richard's exceptional mentorship and dedication to supporting apprentices has a ripple effect on the overall organisational culture. His approach of empowering learners, promoting innovation, and valuing individual needs sets a positive example for others within the organisation.” Congratulations Richard on winning this highly acclaimed award and for the work you do supporting others to thrive and achieve within Platform!
John Fisher, CHIC’s Chief Executive and Director of Ark said “we were delighted to hear Richard had won this award. He has been closely involved with CHIC since the consortium was launched and is a true procurement professional. It is great to see him rewarded for passing on his talent to his apprentices.”
In addition to the success of our award winners, we are so grateful to our sponsors and donors of raffle prizes who helped us make the evening such a success. The raffle raised over £1,000 at the dinner, contributing to more social value support by CHIP.
We look forward to welcoming you all to our 2024 event!
