The Sewell Group, parent organisation of convenience retailer Sewell on the go, has been presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity.
The award was handed over to the company by the King’s representative in East Yorkshire, HM Lord-Lieutenant Mr Jim Dick OBE, in an event hosted by former Secretary of State for Education and Skills The Rt Hon Alan Johnson.
The company, which includes businesses that work in retail, facilities management, construction, estates consultancy and software, was awarded the prestigious accolade to recognise their GATEway initiative, a programme that aims to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the world of work through graduate opportunities, apprenticeships, trainee schemes, work experience and advocacy.
The Lord-Lieutenant particularly praised Sewell Group’s work with CatZero, a charity which has transformed the lives of young people and families living in some of the most deprived communities in the region.
The event was an opportunity for staff to celebrate their success and share stories about how opportunities provided through the GATEway programme had led them to their current career success, hosted in a discussion by Alan Johnson.
Sewell on the go managing director Patrick Sewell said: “We use a mantra of ‘doing the right thing’. Social mobility, providing opportunity and support is embedded in everything we do. It’s also just common sense!”
The King’s Awards were first launched in 1966, and highlight the strength, innovation and ambition of British Enterprise.
Sewell Group is one of a small number of businesses to have won both a Queen’s Award and a King’s Award for Enterprise, recognising the business’s continuing commitment to giving back to the communities they work in.
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