Mike and Catharine Chalton of Home Instead Senior Care in the Wirral were revealed as the 2011 BFA HSBC Franchisees of the Year, supported by Express Newspapers.
Amongst 14 exceptional finalists, the Gold Award winning pair provide a wide range of one-to-one, tailor made, services and home visits for the elderly. They were praised for their commitment to providing high quality care in an industry where some businesses have caused criticism over standards. The judges noted their passion for tackling this serious issue and spearheading an initiative which sees Home Instead Senior Care working closely with the NHS with the aim of raising healthcare standards across the country.
Also celebrating wins for their efforts were:
- Silver Award – Afia Sirkhot, McDonald’s (Birmingham & Dudley). Afia was praised for her dedication to training and developing high quality staff and working with the Birmingham and Dudley communities to build two hugely successful McDonald’s franchises.
- Bronze Award – Ian Cain, NBC Bird and Pest Solutions (Edinburgh). Ian was awarded in recognition of his commitment to ethical business and environmentally responsible wildlife management and for building relationships with, and retaining, a portfolio of high end customers across Scotland.
Mike and Catharine Chalton commented on their achievement: “Winning this award is fantastic recognition of the lengths our whole team has gone to to make a positive change in the community we live in. To be named as the 2011 bfa HSBC Franchisees of the Year is a great honour and a very exciting reward for everyone at Home Instead Senior Care. We are extremely proud of this achievement which also helps to raise awareness of the company and its vision to change the face of elderly care in the UK.”
Home Instead Senior Care is the fifth largest care provider in the UK. It is part of a growing worldwide organisation, Home Instead Worldwide, which currently has over 900 franchised offices worldwide, with over 100 in the UK and Ireland.
Cathryn Hayes, head of franchising, HSBC, commented: “It was a pleasure to witness so many enterprising businesspeople who are excelling through planning, perseverance, innovation and creativity. Mike and Catharine’s passion for providing excellent customer service came across strongly and it is great to see how it has resulted in their successful business going from strength to strength. They are a true credit to the franchising industry and an inspiration to small businesses across the UK.”
Seán Hammond, head of franchising, Express Newspapers, stated: “These Awards continue to reveal the business talent we host in the UK. Their success stories provide food for thought to existing and potential franchisees, and I congratulate every finalist on their enormous achievement.”
Brian Smart, director general, British Franchise Association (bfa), said: “There were so many strong stories this year, revealing the small businesses which have truly taken advantage of the franchise model to deliver success.
“We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2011 BFA HSBC Franchisee of the Year Awards and are particularly pleased to see the level of commitment the winning franchisees have placed on supporting their communities and adapting their businesses to reflect the challenges of the economic environment.”
Along with the overall Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winners, five regional winners were selected.
Regional winners:
London and the South East
Asad Hamir, Amar Radia and Adarsh Radia, O2 (London W1)
Scotland
Ian Cain, NBC Bird and Pest Control (Edinburgh)
The Midlands
Afia Sirkhot, McDonald’s (Birmingham and Dudley)
The North
Mike and Catherine Chalton, Home Instead Senior Care (Moreton, Wirral)
The South West and Wales
Lorraine Thompson, Driver Hire (Oxford)