Cope in the running for two Scottish awards

Social enterprise company Cope has been shortlisted in two categories in the annual Social Enterprise Awards Scotland.

In category one – Social Enterprise of the Year – Cope is one of six social enterprise companies to reach the shortlist, while in category 11 chief executive Ingrid Webb has been nominated with nine other social enterprise heroes in the Social Enterprise Champion Scotland category.

Cope chairman Neil Jamieson said: “We are delighted that Cope has reached the final stages in these prestigious awards.

“It is a tremendous accolade for Ingrid and the entire team, and is testament to all the hard work and dedication that has gone into all the businesses over the last few years.”

Category one recognises a social enterprise that has demonstrated excellent vision and strategic direction, clear leadership and management of the organisation, a high degree of customer satisfaction, a clearly evidenced social, environmental and community impact, shown sustainability in terms of profit and growth,  good brand awareness and communication outputs, and evidence of creativity and innovation.

Ms Webb said: “We are very pleased that we have met the criteria to reach the shortlist. It has been my pleasure to gather the entire Cope team together today to share the good news.

“Reaching this stage in a national award is a mighty achievement for Cope and one that each and every member of staff and participant can be proud to be part of.”

The nomination for category 11 is for someone who has created significant positive change for their community by demonstrating socially entrepreneurial behaviours, beyond the day-to-day expectations of any job that they may have, to tackle any social and/or environmental issue.

Mr Jamieson added: “Ingrid is a worthy nominee in this category. During her time at Cope she has faced and overcome many challenges to bring Cope, its businesses and, most importantly, its people to where they are today.

“She has also represented Cope at a national and international level, flying the flag for not only the Shetland operation, but social enterprises in general. We wish her every success in the final.”