Bluebird Care 2017 Conference & Awards
Bluebird Care have celebrated their annual conference and awards at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. Over 200 franchise owners and guests joined the conference last weekend to celebrate the outstanding contribution they have made to the Bluebird Care brand, customers and communities.
The conference commenced on the Thursday when the network were invited to take part in the traditional golf competition with the day being rounded off by an awards event in the evening. This saw players receive awards for many categories including; nearest the pin, longest drive and of course our most sought after wooden spoon award. Congratulations to those who took part, a fantastic day was had by all.
This year’s conference saw chief operating officer, Duncan Berry, set out Bluebird Care’s plans for 2018. With the theme being ‘Change. For the Better.’ we welcomed two guest speakers, Mark Pollock and Hamish Taylor.
Unbroken by blindness in 1998, Mark went on to compete in ultra endurance races across deserts, mountains, and the polar ice caps including being the first blind person to race to the South Pole. He also won silver and bronze medals for rowing at the Commonwealth Games and set up a motivational speaking business.
In 2010 Mark was left paralysed after falling from a second storey window. He is now exploring the frontiers of spinal cord injury recovery combining an innovative electrical stimulator over his spinal cord and a drug super-charging his nervous system, whilst walking hundreds of thousands of steps in his Ekso Bionics robotic legs. Through the Mark Pollock  Trust he is on a mission to find and connect people around the world to fast-track a cure for paralysis.
Selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, Mark is on the Board of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (USA) and is a Wings for Life Ambassador (UK). He is the subject of the acclaimed documentary called Unbreakable, has spoken at Davos, Wired and TEDx Hollywood and is co-Founder of the global running series called Run in the Dark.
Hamish Taylor, with a CV that the Times described as “takes some beating”, was our second guest speaker of the day. Hamish is a multi-award winning CEO whose career has taken him from International consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble, consultancy firm Price Waterhouse and British Airways to become CEO of the channel tunnel railway Eurostar, and then CEO of Sainsbury’s Bank … all before he was 40!
In all cases, he left behind a record of significant business growth triggered by a willingness to challenge the normal way of doing things – so much so that his advice and assistance is now sought by organisations all over the world in many different industries. The Inspired Leaders Network gave him the title “Masterthief” based on his record of transferring ideas between sectors.
Friday evening saw the gala dinner and annual franchisee awards which celebrates the outstanding achievers within Bluebird Care’s network.
The overall National Franchisee of the Year Award was presented to Bluebird Care South Bucks, South Wycombe & Slough, whose office is in Burnham, who received this prestigious award after a strict judging process. Beating over 200 Bluebird Care franchise owners across the country Anne Inglis was delighted to accept the award on behalf of their team at the gala dinner.
The award was presented as a recognition of the team’s dedication towards its customers, as well as the consistent high level of service demonstrated by staff, across the South Bucks and Slough areas. In qualifying for the award, Bluebird Care South Bucks, South Wycombe & Slough were chosen as the national winner from 18 regional nominees.
On being presented with the award, Anne commented:
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We are so proud to be accepting this award on behalf of the company. It truly is a team effort, and we are honoured to work side-by-side our outstanding employees. They provide the highest, most dignified and professional service that our customers require.”
The Founders Award and Spirit Award were awarded to George Morris, Bluebird Care Camden & Hampstead, and John & Suzzanne Elgar, Bluebird Care Cherwell respectively. The Founders Award is presented to the franchisee who has demonstrated outstanding contribution to Bluebird Care over the previous 12 months, while the Spirit Award is presented to the franchisee who has best captured and demonstrated the ethos of the Bluebird Care business. Both winners were deemed to have gone above and beyond in their day-to-day business activity.
Other Regional Franchisee of the Year Awards were also presented on the night to:
- Sussex Weald, Paul & Kate Barry – South East
- Cornwall North, Sylvia & Mark Sayers – South West
- Cheshire East, Joanna Lee – Midlands West
- Sheffield, Mark Wright & Mark – Northern
- Lisburn & Down, Tim Chrishop – Scotland & Northern Ireland
Bluebird Care chief operating officer, Duncan Berry added:
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Bluebird Care has been delivering high quality care to thousands of customers at home for over a decade, and we are privileged to have hundreds of franchises that genuinely represent the company’s values, ethos and dedication. All our regional winners demonstrated expertise in care that delivers an exemplary experience, and have the utmost respect for their customers.
Also recognised during the event were the national winners of the Bluebird Care Awards, an awards ceremony created to celebrate the organisations extraordinary employees. The winners were invited to join the network at the gala dinner and receive their awards in recognition of their achievement. The award winners of the following 3 categories; Carer of the Year, Team Member of the Year and Registered Manager of the Year, demonstrated such commitment and loyalty, to ensure the high calibre of care that is synonymous with Bluebird Care is consistently delivered to all our customers. The national winners are representatives of the extraordinary people who make Bluebird Care stand out in a highly competitive market and their passion for caring deserves to be celebrated.
