11:03am Thursday 16th July 2009
By Katharine Lawley
THIS week, Business News is celebrating success.
Katrina Layfield of Amesbury accountants Vernon Marshal has been named the silver winner of the ACCA qualification and Phil Smith of Toni & Guy has been nominated for the 2009 British Hairdresser of the Year title.
Old Sarum human resources and payroll company Patersons has been shortlisted in the National Business Awards and tour operator Discover Adventure of Coombe Bissett has been honoured for its commitment towards responsible tourism.
Finally, Milford Manor care home in Salisbury has gained the highest grade from the Care Quality Commission.
Here we find out more.
Ms Layfield said: “ACCA is so widely known throughout the profession and has such prestige that it was my first choice of study course.
“As I was home-studying, I found it a challenge to balance working, running a home and studying.
“I am so pleased to have done so well and the qualification has given me a great deal of confidence in the workplace.”
Helen White and Camilla Howden, partners of Vernon Marshal, said they were delighted with Katrina’s results.
“We knew that she was a very capable student, but to achieve a silver medal is really outstanding,” said Ms White.
Ms Howden said: “We are looking forward to developing her role within the practice.”
This is Mr Smith’s seventh nomination for the British Hairdresser of the Year title and he joins seven other nominees, selected by industry experts, beauty journalists and the international trade press.
He is a previous winner of Wales & South West Hairdresser of the Year, in 1993, 1998 and 1999.
In the awards’ 25-year history, there have been only 15 hairdressers who have been awarded the top title.
Nominees now prepare their portfolio, which will be judged in the regional and specialist category finals in October.
The winners in 16 categories and the British Hairdresser of the Year 2009 title will be announced at a ceremony and dinner in London on November 23.
The company is in the running for the Grant Thornton-sponsored Business of the Year title.
It has a turnover of £6m and has clients in more than 160 countries.
The awards are presented in nine categories and finalists have to make presentations before a judging panel.
The winners will be announced at an awards dinner in London later this month.
The company, which organises worldwide fundraising challenges, has received a four-star rating from the Association of Independent Tour Operators for the work it does in supporting communities and its environmental practices.
The company operates a ‘Leave no Trace’ tourism policy and briefs participants on how to travel responsibly.
Carbon offsetting of flight emissions is encouraged and participants can reduce the impact of their trip by volunteering with BTCV, the international environmental volunteering charity.
They can construct footpaths, carry out dry stone walling, create wildlife habitats or plant trees in communities after completing a challenge.
Discover Adventure managing director Jonathan Bryan said: “Long before the phrase ‘responsible tourism’ was coined we were organising and running our trips with a conscientious mind on mini-mising the negative impact we have on the places we visit.
“The value of tourism to the local economy of the countries to which we travel should not be underestimated: our style of travel, often to remote parts of the world, generates employment and incomes in rural communities which often have no source of revenue other than subsistence farming.”
Discover Adventure is involved in projects in Peru, Tanzania and Nepal and participants can stay on after their challenge to help at schools, orphanages and children’s homes.
The Salisbury home, which specialises in dementia care, has been given a three-star rating for excellent service.
The home is one of five in Salisbury operated by Wessex Care, the others being Little Manor, Kimberley House, Holm-wood and Castle View.
Directors Matthew and Pauline Airey say Milford Manor is the only specialist dedicated dementia care unit in south Wiltshire to achieve this rating, and it places the unit in the top 12 per cent of care/nursing homes in the country.
The couple paid tribute to the “outstanding and dedicated team of staff who have made an absolute commitment to providing this service to the highest standards”.
They also praised manager Tracey Morris, consultant trainer Elizabeth Bartlett and the Alzheimer’s Society.
Wessex Care plans to launch a specialist dementia care day respite service.
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