Local enterprise champion and CEO of Airedale Enterprise Services, Wendy Spencer, has won the Extending Enterprise Award in the inaugural Levelling Up Awards, based around the Levelling Up Goals announced earlier this year. Wendy was nominated for the award by Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore – who is also the Parliamentary Chair of Levelling Up Goals – along with a number of other organisations across Keighley and Ilkley who play a vital role in levelling up our area.
MPs, businesses and others throughout the UK nominated organisations for the 14 different award categories which are focused on equality of opportunity at key life stages.
The Awards were hosted at Darlington Hippodrome with cross-party backing from Chancellor Rishi Sunak MP, Dame Margaret Hodge MP, Guy Opperman MP and Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore. The Levelling Up Goals Awards are Co-Chaired by former Minister for Public Health Seema Kennedy OBE and Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington.
The categories are based around the ‘Levelling Up Goals’ launched earlier this year by former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening. The Goals provide a benchmark for activity focused on driving equality of opportunity from early years through to careers, alongside barriers such as the digital divide, health and infrastructure.
Commenting Robbie Moore said: “It was a great pleasure to nominate Wendy and of course the whole team for the Levelling Up Award in Extending Enterprise. In over 30 years Wendy and her team have supported more than 20,000 businesses and individuals, many from scratch, to help achieve their full potential. Airedale Enterprise Services is certainly a crucial service in the Keighley District and embodies the essence of the levelling up agenda. I am over the mood that Wendy’s success has been recognised through this award.”
Seema Kennedy OBE said: “A huge congratulations to our winners who have shown that they are playing a key role in helping their communities level up. Accelerated by the pandemic, we are seeing a massive shift in expectations of organisations within society and the 2021 Levelling Up Goals Awards celebrate those that are leading the way in being truly purpose-led.”
Co-Chair of the Levelling Up Awards Peter Gibson said: “Levelling up can be a reality for communities up and down the UK. These awards show the fantastic work already going on to level up our communities from digital skills to health. This is a crucial moment for our country and it is brilliant to celebrate some of the work underway in our communities to build back better.”
Former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening said: “The Levelling Up Goals are the UK’s first levelling up architecture and give a clear benchmark for organisations to measure their impact against. Levelling up is something that needs to be addressed throughout the UK and it's great to see so many influential organisations and leaders at the forefront of the agenda.
“I’d like to congratulate all the winners of the first Levelling Up Goals Awards and thank them for their commitment to levelling up.”
