Branches & agencies
Hinckley & Rugby Building Society has won four of the six trophies it was nominated for at the Leicestershire Cares Awards 2021. The Society took home the accolades for Company of the Year, Outstanding Contribution to work with NEET Young People, Outstanding Contribution to Interview Technique, and Education Volunteer of the Year, which was awarded to Evan Crosskey, Mortgage Sales & Distribution Senior Manager. Carla Loughrey, Senior Marketing Executive, was a finalist in the Volunteer of the Year category, and the Society was also nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Education award.
The long-awaited ceremony took place on 22 September at Winstanley House in Leicester and brought together many of its business members as well as their employees, who have been committed to volunteering and giving back to their local communities throughout the pandemic and beyond.
The award-winning Interview Techniques initiative aims to help school leavers develop their communication skills through mock interviews with business volunteers. After the pandemic hit, the popular face-to-face sessions came to a halt. However Society staff were more than happy to get involved when Leicestershire Cares offered a virtual alternative to the volunteer-favourite.
Kieran Breen, Chief Executive at Leicestershire Cares, says:
“Hinckley & Rugby Building Society’s staff have shown time and time again they are creative, agile and really committed to making a difference to the community and young people. Across our programmes, they have supported and inspired young people in schools and community settings to develop a vast range of soft and hard life and employability skills. They have always carried out this work with humour, goodwill and an eagerness to learn and share. They really are the living embodiment of a firm that is “systemically” serious about giving back to the community.”
Pre-pandemic, Society staff also enjoyed taking part in the charity’s Number Partners sessions, which supports primary school children to improve their maths skills through educational board games. Once a weekly staple, the Society wanted to continue providing this assistance to students virtually during Covid-19, which is where Evan Crosskey, New Lending Senior Manager, came in. He and his partner in crime, Carla Loughrey, Senior Marketing Executive, donned their pirate costumes and produced a series of educational videos which were both informative and fun, and were received extremely well by schools involved.
This outstanding contribution and willingness to go above and beyond led to Evan winning the Education Volunteer of the Year award at the ceremony. The Society is incredibly proud of the efforts put in by Evan and Carla to support Leicestershire Cares through a challenging time, and the charity is equally as grateful.
Kieran Breen, Chief Executive at Leicestershire Cares, says:
“Evan has consistently shown he is committed to, understands and can relate to young people. His pirate video was just one example of the way he was able to work around the restrictions of lockdown to reach out and connect with young people in a creative and inspiring way.”
Colin Fyfe, Chief Executive at Hinckley & Rugby Building Society, says:
“I am incredibly proud of our staff, who have continued to take up virtual volunteering opportunities throughout the pandemic. As a mutual organisation, we want to give back to the community, and the work we do with Leicestershire Cares is a prime example of how our staff embody our values. I’d like to give a special thanks to the charity for providing us with all these wonderful opportunities which enrich the culture at the Society and benefit local people. A big congratulations also goes to Evan, who has gone above and beyond with his volunteering – an award well deserved.”
Visit the website to learn more about the Society’s partnership with Leicestershire Cares.
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