Twelve years ago, Community Housing Cymru set up an Award scheme to recognise housing innovation in memory of a special person - Pat Chown. Pat gave a big part of her life to helping others and spent much of her working life in helping to meet people's housing needs in Wales.
Gwynedd-based horticulture, catering and joinery social enterprise tells us what makes the business a success, and about its plans to grow the organisation further.
Founder of Rhondda-based social enterprise wins leadership award
Date: 25.05.2011
Kate Wood, director of Tonypandy pet store company Your Pets Warehouse, has won the Social Enterprise award at the 2011 Leading Wales Awards.
Kate (pictured with John Bennett, CEO of WSEC) was one of four finalists in the category, which was a new addition to the awards this year and was sponsored by WSEC. She was praised for her strong leadership skills in driving forward the business that she founded over three years ago when she saw a gap in the market to provide employment opportunities for disabled and excluded young people.
The awards, made up of eight different categories spanning public, private, not-for-profit, social responsibility and the social enterprise sectors, recognise and celebrate leadership across all levels, in association with Real Radio Wales. They were held at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff last week.
On accepting the award, Kate said: “I am delighted to receive this on behalf of the crew at Your Pets Warehouse. Rhodri Morgan talked about how Wales needs to lead from the front and say “yes we can” more. Having recognition of that means the world to the team. I’d like to thank everyone for their support as we wouldn’t be where we are today without it.”
The company is based at a 3,000 sq ft quality pet store in Tonypandy and has an annual income figure of over £200,000 from product sales alone. It employs 10 full and some part-time staff and a number of trainees and volunteers.
John Bennett, chief executive of the Welsh Social Enterprise Coalition, said; “Today is all about celebrating leaders and in Kate we have a wonderful example. Excellent leaders are particularly crucial in the social enterprise movement, simply because, by very definition, leaders will take others to places they would not think of going on their own.”
At the ceremony, former First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, also received an honorary award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and for his contribution to the development of leadership in others.
The other social enterprise finalist were Kathryn Williams, Chair of Dylan’s Den, Sharon Jones, Director of Crest Co-operative and Steve Garrett, Chair of Riverside Community Market Association (RCMA).
They awards are run by a consortium of organisations including Cardiff Business School, CBI Wales, Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
See more on Your Pets Warehouse here.
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