Business in the Community Award 2026
Category criteria
- This category will recognise businesses that demonstrate an impactful commitment to corporate social responsibility, including contributing to the community within which they’re based.
- Businesses can be of any size and working within any sector.
Art UK
Business in the Community entrant
A national charity based in Stoke-on-Trent is using art to build the skills, confidence and social connections of people in some of the most disadvantaged parts of the city.
Art UK, which has its head office at University of Staffordshire, is on a mission to connect people to art, whether they are schoolchildren, scholars, teachers or tourists.
It has a free digital platform where anyone in the world can explore the wealth of the nation’s art, helping people build meaningful connections with the UK’s cultural heritage.
Art UK’s community engagement mission is to open up this national collection so that people from all walks of life can engage with art, artists and collections for learning, research, enjoyment, skills development and improved wellbeing.
Since May 2024 it has been running an in person community volunteering programme in Stoke on Trent to explore how a digital engagement tool called Tagger can bring people closer to the art around them. Tagger is a digital crowdsourcing tool that allows people to ‘tag’ artworks with descriptive words, improving the accessibility and searchability of art on the Art UK website while discovering new artists and artworks along the way.
Katey Goodwin, Deputy Chief Executive of Art UK, said: “This work has proven to be more than a digital exercise; it has become a catalyst for connection, curiosity and pride in the local area.
“Focusing on museums and public art in Stoke on Trent, participants have been able to contribute their knowledge, develop new appreciation for their city and see familiar places with fresh eyes.
“The shared activity of tagging creates opportunities for conversation, storytelling and reminiscence, which are powerful tools known to enhance memory, reduce stress and help combat depression.
“Our groups in Stoke on Trent have used Tagger as a springboard for sharing personal stories and local insights. These sessions improve communication skills, encourage gentle cognitive exercise and help participants reconnect with memories tied to place and community.
“The programme is strengthening digital skills, visual literacy and confidence in exploring and interpreting art, opening up new avenues of creative thinking and discovery.”
To date Art UK has delivered 54 in person activities across Stoke on Trent, including monthly sessions in Fegg Hayes and Stoke town, engaging 1,062 participants. It runs events in accessible community hubs such as libraries, parks and community centres to make it easy for people to take part close to home. These welcoming, informal settings help participants build friendships, meet people they might not otherwise encounter and feel part of something bigger.
It stages tag a thons, workshops, photo walks and creative challenges unite people around a common goal of improving access to Stoke on Trent’s collections and sharing local perspectives with the world.
Art UK has entered the Business in the Community (Charity) category of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Brew Crew
Business in the Community nominee
More than 40 cafes across North Staffordshire have joined the Brew Crew project designed to tackle loneliness, strengthen community connection and support local businesses.
Brew Crew has been launched by not-for-profit Reaching CIC as part of its wider aim of reducing loneliness, improving confidence and building resilient communities.
Member cafes display an orange heart sticker in their window, signalling to the community that they’re a safe and welcoming space for anyone who may be feeling isolated. Customers can wear orange heart pin badges as a sign they’d appreciate a warm welcome in a Brew Crew café, or to show their support for ending loneliness.
This collaboration between the charitable sector and local businesses will provide a vital lifeline to individuals in need of connection, while also boosting footfall and revenue for cafés.
Georgina Salt, CEO of Reaching CIC, is University of Staffordshire alumna. She said: “Reaching has developed a unique ability to connect people across communities of all ages and backgrounds, grounded in the belief that human relationships have the power to transform how people feel.
“We recognise the vital role that small, welcoming hospitality spaces play in the heart of our high streets, towns and villages — places where people socially connect with others and have a safe place to be. By working together with local small businesses we’re creating a movement of people, places and compassion dedicated to tackling loneliness and bringing connection to those who need it most.”
Reaching has also launched Brew Club – regular meetups hosted in Brew Crew cafés with a dedicated volunteer, where anyone can join a table, enjoy a brew,and connect with others in a relaxed, friendly environment. Brew Club gives people the confidence to walk into a café at dedicated times knowing they’ll find conversation and companionship waiting for them.
The Brew Crew project has been nominated in the Business in the Community category of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Re-form Heritage
Business in the Community (Charity) nominee
A Stoke-on-Trent-based charity is transforming at-risk historic buildings for the benefit of the local and wider community.
Re-form Heritage, based at Middleport Pottery, was appointed as the Heritage Development Trust for Stoke-on-Trent in December 2023. This status is funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England to kick-start the regeneration of key heritage sites in Stoke-on-Trent.
Their past work helped save Middleport Pottery from closure, transforming it into a visitor attraction and creative centre. This was followed by the regeneration of Victorian workers’ cottages at Harper Street across the road. Plans are now advancing to transform Hanley’s Bethesda Methodist Chapel into an educational and events centre by the end of 2026.
Re-form Heritage has around 25 full-time staff and up to 50 volunteers.
It is one of 12 social enterprises and charities across the UK empowered to take over and transform at-risk high street buildings by being granted Heritage Development Status. This status will see Re-form Heritage work alongside stakeholders throughout the city to help preserve Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage.
Re-form Heritage has been nominated in the Business in the Community (Charity) category of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Beat The Cold
Business in the Community (charity) nominee
A Stoke-on-Trent-based charity which aims to reduce fuel poverty and cold related ill health is helping to bring down year-on-year fuel poverty figures in the city.
Beat The Cold has more than two decades of experience in energy advice and support within Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. The charity is a client-led service committed to helping those who live in, or are at risk of, fuel poverty, or whose health could be detrimentally affected by a cold home.
The charity is pioneering in how it uses health data and is striving not only to make a difference within the county but to be the blueprint for best practice in England. Key to achieving their aims is building relationships, partnerships and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders to best serve those who are referred.
These partnerships include the likes of University Hospital of North Midlands Trust, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust and Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust.
The charity is commissioned by local authorities and works in partnership with health boards across the county to provide a single-point-of-contact health and housing referral service. It was also an expert witness in the development of National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) Guideline, NG6.
A team of 12 helps Beat The Cold go the extra mile to support every service user, regardless of the complexity of their situation, in an area that has the highest level of fuel poverty in the country.
The charity offers a range of services including home energy assessments, advice on managing energy bills, help with switching suppliers, accessing funding available for heating repairs and replacements, support for accessing grants and funding and providing information on energy saving measures.
Beat The Cold has been nominated in the Business in the Community (Charity) category of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
NeuroTalks
Business in the Community entrant
University of Staffordshire alumna Jodie Steele has created three brands inspired by her own experiences with neurodiversity.
The 44-year-old, from Stone, graduated in Marketing in 2003 and went on to work in high-pressure sales and marketing roles for multinational businesses including five years working overseas. She has worked for newspaper groups and in both radio and television.
During the pandemic she had a neurological crash which caused problems with her vision and a loss of motor skills on the right side of her body. She also had a late diagnosis of ADHD.
Jodie has spent several years rehabilitating during which the marketeer in her realised that her own lived experience was the basis of a brand that could help other people. That brand is also now becoming an income stream for Jodie.
She founded NeuroTalks, a lived experience led training and consultancy business that supports organisations to build neuro-inclusive, high-performing and psychologically safe environments.
A growing suite of digital products have been developed including free and paid workbooks, training resources and recorded content.
Alongside Neurotalks she has developed complementary ventures Alchemy Souls Travel, an inclusive and wellbeing-led travel storytelling brand, and Aura & Ash, a sustainability-focused lifestyle brand.
All three brands are gaining increased social media interaction. Jodie has been doing paid work through her brands since November including collaborations with the likes of the RSPCA.
Jodie said: “This could have broken a lot of people but if I can use it to help other people then I think that’s a really positive thing and it motivates me to do more.”
Jodie has entered the Alumni Business Person of the Year category of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards and has entered NeuroTalks into the Innovation, Skills For The Future and Business in the Community categories.
She added: “I’m a graduate of University of Staffordshire and this is not simply a historical detail; it is part of my identity as a business leader. The value of that learning, real-world relevance and community connection continue to influence how I operate today.
“I represent the kind of graduate who builds impact over time and offers sustained contribution; not a single business, but an ecosystem; not profit at the expense of people, but performance through inclusion.
“To be recognised as Alumni Business Person of the Year would not only reflect my own journey but would shine a light on the importance of neuro-inclusive leadership, wellbeing-led innovation and values-driven entrepreneurship - areas that increasingly define future work, travel and community life.”
Nelly's Nest
Business in the Community nominee
Josie Vujcic is the founder of Nelly’s Nest, author of the book Nelly’s Not Naughty and a passionate advocate for neurodiversity and the inclusion of individuals with hidden disabilities.
Nelly’s Nest champions neurodiverse voices by offering services in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and across the UK. Its work includes training and development programs, community outreach and support initiatives to empower individuals, families and professionals.
Josie has a background in SEN within schools and founded Nelly’s Nest with the aim of creating inclusive spaces where neurodiverse individuals feel understood, valued and supported.
Josie leads a team of five staff, all of whom who have a background of working with neurodiverse people of all ages.
Nelly’s Nest works with schools and businesses, helping to create environments that are inclusive, understanding and supportive.
Schools are given targeted support to help staff identify, understand and meet the diverse needs of SEND pupils, promoting inclusion and confidence across the school community. Businesses receive practical, scalable training to build inclusive policies, improve team awareness and support neurodiverse employees and clients.
Nelly’s Nest can also be found at events and festivals equipped with resources, sensory tools, de-escalation equipment and trained therapeutic staff to allow events to be accessible to all.
Josie said: “I am really proud to be an advocate for inclusivity of neurodiversity. We now offer a variety of services all over Staffordshire and around the UK to support, encourage and include the neurodiverse community.
“Only through acknowledgment of diversity can we achieve inclusivity. At Nelly’s Nest we understand that individuals experience and interact with the world in diverse ways, including those with conditions like autism, ADHD and learning disabilities.
“That is why we promote and champion inclusion and acceptance of these differences as we recognise that everyone’s brain works differently and that these variations contribute to a richer, more diverse society.”
Nelly’s Nest has been nominated in the Business in the Community category of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
JMT
Business in the Community entrant
Fenton-based JMT set out to become more than an accountancy and business advisory firm by embedding itself into the heart of the community it serves.
Founded 15 years ago by Tomasz Putynkowski it has supported more than 170 small and medium-sized enterprises across Staffordshire.
This has often involved helping start-ups and small businesses in their journey to become established and then scale.
The business has a long-term commitment to sustained charitable involvement, educational engagement, inclusive leadership and measurable social contribution because of Tomasz’s belief that commercial success and community impact can and should go hand in hand.
He said: “What distinguishes JMT is its deliberate commitment to strengthening the wider community alongside growing its client base. Community engagement is not an occasional initiative for JMT, it is embedded in its everyday operations and leadership philosophy.”
Over the past three years the business has helped raise and donate more than £7,000 to local charities and community initiatives. JMT has organised and supported numerous fundraising events, contributed sponsorship to local causes and actively promoted charitable campaigns within the business network.
Rather than viewing charity as an obligation JMT integrates it into its culture — encouraging clients, partners and associates to participate and contribute.
Innovation has been central to JMT’s success. The business has embraced digital transformation, implementing cloud-based accounting systems and automation tools that streamline processes for clients and improve efficiency.
By moving clients onto modern accounting platforms and providing training and guidance, JMT has reduced administrative burdens, improved reporting accuracy and enabled real-time decision-making.
Tomasz added: “JMT’s performance is especially notable given the wider economic landscape in which it operates. Small businesses have faced unprecedented pressures in recent years from regulatory changes and tax reforms to economic uncertainty and rising operational costs.
“JMT has not only navigated these challenges successfully but has used them as opportunities to strengthen its client relationships. Through workshops, one-to-one advisory sessions and ongoing strategic support, the firm has helped businesses overcome obstacles, stabilise finances and plan for future growth.”
JMT has entered the Small Business of the Year and Business in the Community categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.