The Covid-19 pandemic continues to create challenges for us all and, as a business, ensuring we are best-positioned to meet our clients changing needs is our key priority. As ever, we are always on hand to offer any advice and support whenever it is needed.
These difficult times have given us an even greater appreciation of the people who protect us and provide our key services, and for those who go ‘above and beyond’ to support their local community.
During the lockdown, we ran a competition and asked you to nominate colleagues, suppliers, customers or anyone else who stood out as someone who has helped improved life for those around them.
It was our small way of offering our thanks and the reward for the winner is a two-night stay at Holiday Inn, Newcastle – Gosforth Park. Our ‘thank you’ also includes £150 to spend on food, drink and spa treatments and we are pleased to announce the winner is Irene Johnson from Killingworth.
Nominated by her colleague, Julia Rogers, there is no doubt Irene fully deserves her prize.
Working full time within the NHS, in what Julia describes as “a demanding role on the social care side of health care,” Irene has also continued her voluntary commitments as County Commissioner for Girlguiding North Tyneside.
An active Girl Guide leader for over 20 years, Irene not only runs a Rainbow unit in Benton (for four to seven-year-olds) but also runs training sessions and, as the County Commissioner for North Tyneside, manages more than 2,000 members in 96 units, including 400 Guiders and recognised volunteers.
In addition, Irene also oversees the management of two Girlguiding properties, the North Tyneside HQ in North Shields and the outdoor centre, Cheviot View, in Northumberland.
Her roles are both fulfilling and rewarding and she enjoys being part of an organisation that offers girls and young women wonderful new opportunities to develop and have fun.
Describing Irene, Julia says: “Always calm and empathetic, Irene understands the role of both volunteer and employee alike and appreciates the commitment people make when they have outside responsibilities with families or work.”
“On a personal level, Irene has raised two girls and has also been a surrogate mum not once, but twice. I do hope you will award Irene this treat because she deserves it.”
Irene says: “I’m still completely blown away that we won, even though I know it’s a cliché to say I never win anything. I’m really grateful to for the fantastic prize, which I know I will enjoy enormously, and also to Julia for thinking of me.”
“I know there will have been many amazing nominations and I feel really lucky to be chosen.”