FamilyCarersNet named 2019 Making a Mark winners
FamilyCarersNet, a social enterprise providing vital support for unpaid carers, was announced as the winner of our 2019 Making a Mark competition at a special celebration at our conference in Birmingham earlier this week.
Besma Whayeb, a Year of Green Action Ambassador, presented the award to Andy Lewis of FamilyCarersNet during our annual awards reception. His colleague Simon had earlier spoken at a panel session looking at how social enterprises can achieve sustainable business growth without compromising their social mission.
Andy was presented with an award specially created for us by Social Enterprise Mark holder Start Creative *, a social enterprise which provides a range of high quality hand crafted products and services to public, private and social sectors, whilst providing positive commercial experiences to volunteers who are referred via mental health services.
Simon Brown, founder of FamilyCarersNet said: “It was quite a shock, there were many fantastic organisations shortlisted. It’s our first national award and really pleasing for everyone involved to gain recognition from others in our sector for the impact we have in supporting unpaid carers, both in Suffolk and across the UK.”
The annual Making a Mark competition celebrates how accredited social enterprises are creating considerable impact within their local communities and in wider society. This year, we asked Mark holders to submit their ‘Social Enterprise Story’, encapsulating who they are and the nature of the social impact they create – i.e. how they are ‘Making a Mark’.
We were really impressed with FamilyCarersNet’s video submission, which illustrated a sense of genuine stakeholder engagement in how their business is managed and delivered, and clearly demonstrated their purpose and explained how the help and benefits they deliver translate into social outcomes for beneficiaries.
Andy Lewis of FamilyCarersNet with the Social Enterprise Mark CIC team
FamilyCarersNet was shortlisted alongside five other organisations, including AUARA, who were Highly Commended. The shortlist was decided by the Social Enterprise Mark CIC team, which also voted on the final result. We were really impressed with the quality of submissions, and would like to extend our congratulations to all of the competition finalists:
AUARA- Brighter Futures
- FamilyCarersNet
- Hope Enterprises
- Millfields Trust
- University of Northampton
