Gillian wins prestigious award
Peter Lambert, Deputy Chief Executive of Business in the Community, hands over the Marks & Spencer Sieff Community Leader award to a delighted Gillian Sneddon.
A council worker from Shropshire Council has been named the 2011 Marks & Spencer Sieff Award winner for the West Midlands in recognition of her outstanding work supporting sustainable partnerships between business and communities in the Shrewsbury area.
Gillian Sneddon, who works as an Education Awareness Officer, was presented with the accolade at the Business in the Community (BITC) Awards for Excellence dinner held last week (Tuesday 21 June 2011) at Birmingham Town Hall.
It recognises her work in identifying local schools and community groups needing support and bringing in teams of employee volunteers to carry out projects to support their requirements. This has so far included decorating community venues, building children’s playgrounds and creating vegetable gardens and allotments.
Again thanks to Gillian’s support, Hanwood Community Centre near Shrewsbury benefited last week (Friday 24 June 2011), with 80 volunteers from Muller Diary and The Midcounties Co-operative spending the day transforming its outdoor areas as part of Give & Gain Day 2011 – BITC’s national employee volunteering day.
Councillor Martin Bennett, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member, said: “On behalf of the council and Shropshire communities I would like to offer my thanks and congratulations to Gillian on this fantastic achievement. Her work makes a real difference to local communities.”
David Darlaston, Regional Director at Business in the Community, said: “I offer my warmest congratulations to Gillian for her dedication and commitment to collaborative community work in the West Midlands.
“In this difficult economic climate, there has never been a greater need for effective grassroots partnership. She understands the value and importance of business and communities connecting to meet local needs and has helped us in creating successful, powerful, sustainable partnerships in and around Shrewsbury.”
The Marks & Spencer Sieff Award was introduced in 2002 to coincide with Business in the Community’s 20th anniversary and the retirement of pioneering corporate leader and founder member Sir David Sieff.
It is the benchmark standard for successful community-business collaborations, recognising individuals whose contributions to society – by bringing businesses and communities together – have left a lasting, replicable legacy in the region.
Mike Barry, Head of Sustainable Business at Marks & Spencer, said: “We are delighted that Gillian has been recognised as the 2011 Marks and Spencer Sieff Award winner for West Midlands.
“Each year, we are thoroughly inspired by our award winners – those dedicated people across the UK, each working tirelessly to make a difference to the communities in which they live and work. Gillian should be commended for making a real individual difference and she is an inspiring example of how individuals can transform communities through powerful collaboration.”
One Marks & Spencer Sieff Award is made in each of the UK regions that BITC operates (East Midlands, East of England, London, North East, Northern Ireland, North West, South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands, and Yorkshire & Humber).
As a SIEFF award winner Gillian has now received an invite to the National Awards in London at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 5 July 2011.
