Aspire Win Regional Health & Wellbeing Award
After so many virtual events it was an amazing experience for several Aspire women to attend the in-person County Durham Together Awards (in association with The Northern Echo and Durham County Council) at Ramside Hall Hotel on 9th December 2021. Even better when they collected the award for Health and Wellbeing provider of the year.
Aspire’s Co-Directors and Co-Founders Janice Rokni and Jan Vincent were joined by Aspire Learning Coordinator Colleen Baker and Volunteer and Support Service Coordinator Val Kilner to collect the award at the ceremony held in the glamourous County Durham venue.
“We take a gender-specific, holistic approach to serving the needs of women who are often disadvantaged in a variety of ways. We’re volunteer-led by women with lived experiences, so they really get each other’s needs and how to help.
It is about creating a safe, supportive environment for women who, for whatever reason, don’t want to engage in mainstream services but can benefit from our various means of support.”
Above: Aspire Co-Directors and Co-Founders Janice Rokni (in black) and Jan Vincent (in red) stand 2nd and 3rd from the end left of this image of the evening’s award winners, proudly holding Aspire’s Health and Wellbeing award. (Image from The Northern Echo article about the evening published 10th December 2021, used with thanks)
The Health and Wellbeing award was a huge achievement in these difficult times of Covid pandemic and lockdowns, reflecting the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of all Aspire women - staff, volunteers and those using our services.
“It is about creating a safe, supportive environment for women who, for whatever reason, don’t want to engage in mainstream services but can benefit from our various means of support.”
Aspire were able to celebrate the win with other organisations, such as our partners from regional housing provider Karbon Homes who received the Large Company of the Year award, and our friends at Chester le Street’s RefUSE Cafe, who won the Environment Award.
“Everyone nominated for The Northern Echo’s County Durham Together Awards, in association with Durham County Council, is special, so it is a privilege to be able to shine a spotlight on the inspirational, hard working, dedicated and selfless people who have truly gone more than the extra mile to help their friends, neighbours and often people they don’t even know.”
In celebration of the Health and Wellbeing award win, The Northern Echo wrote a profile on Aspire Learning Support and Wellbeing which was published on 22nd December 2021 and can be read here.
Image right: (L-R) Aspire Volunteer and Support Services Coordinator Val Kilner, Co-Founder and Co-Directors Janice Rokni then Jan Vincent, and Learning Coordinator Colleen Baker (Image via The Northern Echo article above, with thanks)