A party at the palace for Rochdale’s latest King’s Award winner

Posted by on 28 May 2024

The King’s Awards for Enterprise, formerly known as The Queen’s Award for Enterprise, are the highest UK awards for British businesses.                                   

These accolades serve as a powerful endorsement of excellence, enhancing the reputation and credibility of the winning enterprises both domestically and internationally. Additionally, the publicity can open doors to new partnerships, investment opportunities, and markets, driving further growth and success.

The King’s Award is also the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK and is presented to organisations that “are truly outstanding and making a big difference to their local community.

This year, Community interest company Aspire 2 Inspire Communities is the second local organisation to enjoy a royal garden party to celebrate its King’s Award for Voluntary Service with Directors from Rochdale-based charity Aspire 2 Inspire Communities enjoying a garden party at Buckingham Palace this week to celebrate the organisation’s King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Aspire 2 Inspire Communities is a community interest company that offers a range of services for underserved groups from its base in Regent Street, Rochdale. It aims to be a one-stop-shop for communities in need, breaking barriers, improving confidence, skills, employability and access to services.

The organisation works with ethnic minority groups, young people, refugees and asylum seekers and families facing financial hardships, among others.

Five key service areas include Women Empowerment, Youth Services, Food Poverty, Cost of Living Crisis, Refugee & Asylum Support. The group offers one of the largest holiday activities and food programme in Rochdale. In 2022 it became the first licenced CIC to obtain a licence to deliver the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme to young people in the community.

Founding director Kalsoom Khanum said: “It was wonderful to be invited to the royal garden party, and the fact that we did is testament to the hard work and dedication of our incredible volunteers. It was also inspiring to speak to so many other voluntary organisations that are doing great things for people around the UK.”

Kalsoom hopes the award will increase the visibility of Aspire to Inspire Communities in Rochdale and beyond.

The King’s Award for Voluntary Service is a sister award to the King’s Award for Enterprise, which celebrates organisations doing great things in the areas of innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility.

Any eligible organisation can apply and organisations that have received the award report benefits including worldwide recognition, increased commercial value, greater press coverage and a boost to staff morale. Previous recipients in Rochdale include Crystal Doors and PTG Holroyd.

Aspire 2 Inspire Communities provides an important services to people in the community of Rochdale and is a thoroughly deserving recipient of this prestigious award. It is hoped their success inspires other businesses and non-profit organisations in Rochdale Borough to consider applying for a King’s Award. Businesses can apply themselves and the rewards in terms of recognition and prestige can be priceless.

The Rochdale Development Agency are keen to see more Rochdale organisations apply for the prestigious awards and also support them through the process; the RDA in partnership with GM Business Growth Hub are hosting an event on Friday 7th June at Rochdale Town Hall.  At this event, the panel, led by Dr Vikas Shah along with several previous winners - will discuss the benefits of winning a King’s Award and outline their success since winning, as well as talking you through the application process. They will identify potential pitfalls and share the benefit of their vast experience of writing an award-winning nomination.  For more information and to register for this event HERE.

The next round of awards will be announced in November 2024.