Organisations playing a leading role in levelling up the North Devon local community have been nominated by Selaine Saxby MP for an award backed by Britain’s leading businesses. The Levelling Up Goals Awards recognise those people and organisations that are committed to boosting opportunity and helping to level up the UK in the wake of Covid-19.
MPs throughout the UK nominated organisations from their constituencies for the 14 different award categories which are focused on equality of opportunity at key life stages.
Ms. Saxby nominated Petroc for the “Positive Destinations Post 16+” category. Petroc and their excellent Principal have actively engaged and embraced Kickstart and initiated several work-related skills programmes with the community. The won an AOC award for their modelling work on Covid and social distancing. Petroc have also developed a new school of nursing including a Health Futures Hub, and pioneered and won grants from Innovate UK for their ‘Techknowledgey Transfer’ programme.
Ms. Saxby also nominated One Northern Devon for the “Good Health and Well Being” category. One Northern Devon is a partnership of organisations working together to improve wellbeing for the people and communities of North Devon and Torridge. The organisation is now at the forefront of an approach to improving health and well-being, and at its heart is an understanding that people need more than just good NHS services to keep well.
The results were announced on Friday 30th April, and while unfortunately neither Petroc nor One Northern Devon were the winners in their category, the quality of competition reflects the high-standing with which both North Devon organisations are regarded.
The Awards have cross-party backing from Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP and Dame Margaret Hodge MP amongst others. The Levelling Up Goals Awards are Co-Chaired by former Minister for Public Health and loneliness champion Seema Kennedy OBE and Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington.
Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon said:
“Petroc and One Northern Devon were two extremely worthy candidates to be nominated for these awards. I have the privilege of knowing both organisations very well, and I find the work they do to support and better others in our community to be truly inspiring. Both are truly outstanding organisations, and both are doing wonders for our local area.
“While I realise the judging panel for these awards had a wealth of deserving organisations to consider, I am sure they recognised how exceptional these two North Devon examples are and how exceptional they are for the effort they put in to truly going above and beyond. I look forward to seeing both organisations continue to grow and prosper.”
Seema Kennedy OBE, former Minister for Public Health and loneliness champion, said:
“A huge congratulations to those nominated for these awards who have already shown that they are playing a key role in helping their communities level up. The 2021 Levelling Up Goals Awards celebrate the great work going on in communities across the UK and the message of these awards is simple: our country can recover from COVID-19, and it can also be a fairer country than before.”
David Harrison, Entrepreneur and President of the Levelling Up Awards said:
“MPs can play a big role in helping to level up the UK. It is fantastic to see Selaine Saxby getting involved in the awards and taking the time to recognise the great work going on locally to help boost social mobility and level up their communities.”
