The mumandworking 2010 awards

"Promoting flexible working is important so families have essential time together.  I'm delighted the mumandworking 2010 awards are going all out to praise the businesses and people who are making this possible for parents across the UK.  I encourage you to get involved and to lead the way in what is the biggest revolution in employment in recent years.  I'm very proud that I can support this programme and the mumandworking website." - Sarah Beeny, TV presenter, author, entrepreneur and Mum.

mumandworking 2010 awards

Welcome to our 2010 mumandworking awards to reward and recognise the companies and individuals that make flexible working possible and show that family-friendly employment not only supports family life but give real benefits to the companies involved.

We are delighted to have the support from the amazing Sarah Beeny and the many sponsors that have given us time and resources to make our 2010 mumandworking awards possible.  We urge you to take a moment to click on their links on this page and support them as they are supporting our awards.

Building on the success of our What's On 4 awards we are introducing this new award s programme to recognise working parents, flexible employers and parents in business.

We're very excited about this as we know first-hand the challenges that parenthood, running a business and working brings.

We meet amazing individuals every day that are proving that flexible, family-friendly employment does work and we want to applaud the people and companies that are making this happen.

All our finalists will be invited to the stunning Hilton St Anne's Manor near Bracknell for a very special awards ceremony on 4th November where they will be treated like superstars!

Register below for our newsletters to be the first to hear when the awards open and receive regular news and updates.

Awards Categories

Business Parent of the Year sponsored by RSM Tenon
Open to any parent who has their own business.  A parent that has overcome many challenges to launch their business but has made it a success.  The winner will receive a luxury spa weekend for two at Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal Spa worth £660.

Self-Employed Parent of the Year
Open to any parent who is registered self-employed.  A parent that has overcome many challenges to work for themselves but had created their own flexible employment.

Flexible Company of the Year sponsored by Hilton
Open to any company who actively promotes exceptionally family-friendly and flexible working policies to it's team.  The winner receives a family leisure weekend at Hilton St Anne's Manor including tickets to Legoland, Windsor.

Flexible Franchisor of the Year
Open to any franchisor who actively promotes exceptionally family-friendly and flexible working policies to it's franchisees.

Working Parent of the Year sponsored by Tepilo.com
For companies and colleagues to nominate a parent who clearly demonstrates the asset that working parents are to any business with their dedication, enthusiasm and hard work.

Franchisee of the Year
For companies and colleagues to nominate a franchisee who clearly demonstrates how a flexible franchise can bring out the best in individuals for the benefit of their families and customers.

Nominations

On-line nominations start in May 2010 and you can nominate yourself or an indivdual or company in any of our award categories. 

Judging

Judging starts in July 2010 and we are very lucky to have a team of 5 well-respected judges who excel in key areas of employment and business, and most importantly they are all parents that have found flexible careers to fit around their own families.

Awards Ceremony

The finalists of each award will be invited to our awards ceremony in November 2010 to meet and mingle with the press, industry personalities and our other special guests.  The winners will be announced and presented with their awards trophies and prizes at this inspiring occasion.

Our Sponsors and Supporters

A huge thank you to the sponsors and supporters of our 2010 awards.  Without them our awards would not be possible and we are extremely grateful for their support.  There are some opportunities still available, please click here for more details.

Hilton

Hilton St. Anne's Manor is only 45 min from London and surrounded by historic sites and beautiful countryside. Set within 25 acres of peaceful woodland and gardens, this beautiful hotel has impressive facilities for both business and pleasure. It offers a range of meeting and conference rooms as well as exciting leisure activities with Windsor Castle, Henley-on-Thames, Legoland, Chessington World of Adventures and Hampton Court being just a few of the nearby attractions.

Indulge in aromatherapy treatment and dine on contemporary gastro favourites in our new Omnia restaurant for a girly pamper weekend, ormake use of the interconnecting rooms, delightful grounds and the fun children's play area for the perfect getaway for all the family.

For more information, please visit hilton.co.uk/stannesmanor.

Tepilo.com

• Tepilo is completely free to use - with no charges for uploading your property or commission to pay.
• Tepilo makes it easy for you - the site is packed with advice on buying and selling, and now letting a property, including a library of hints and tips that we are constantly updating.
• Tepilo provides practical profit enhancing tips - the "design for profit" section lays out ideas on how to design your house to maximise your profit.
• Tepilo encourages the personal touch - using owner descriptions and a magazine style layout, Tepilo aims to give buyers and tenants much more of an insight into what's great about each property.
• Ask Sarah - if you get stuck you can even ask Sarah a question directly through Tepilo.

Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal Spa

Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal Spa - the health spa where you can really relax ......

Ragdale Hall is located in the rolling Leicestershire countryside. It combines state-of-the-art facilities with the charm of traditional Victorian architecture to create one of the most luxurious and relaxing health spas in the country and was recently voted Best Spa in Europe.

Whether you are looking for total relaxation during a weekend spa break, some pampering, an unrivalled range of treatments or to kick start a healthier lifestyle, Ragdale Hall is the perfect choice.


Ragdale Hall has received Health Spa of the Year awards each year for the last ten years, since 1999 in fact - the only UK health spa to achieve this.   Having won “Best Destination Spa” in the Professional Beauty Awards six times in the last nine years, in 2007 Ragdale were voted Best Destination Spa in Europe.

With prices from only £67.32 for a day package and residential prices from £107.66 per person per night, there are great value options for everyone.



Visit www.ragdalehall.co.uk for more information.  And receive a 10% discount at Ragdale Hall thanks to www.whatson4littleones.co.uk - just quote WO4LO when booking.

Our Judges

Wendy Shand, owner and founder of Tots To Travel

This year’s Practical Parenting’s Business Parent of the Year Award winner, Wendy Shand started Tots to Travel when her 2 year old son fell into an unenclosed swimming pool whilst on a family holiday in France in 2005.  Wendy spotted a gap in the market to provide families with small children and babies with safe, genuinely family friendly holiday accommodation in France.  What followed was www.TotstoFrance.co.uk, a business boasting a portfolio of personally vetted holiday properties, specially kitted out for families. 

Following the success of the French venture, Wendy has expanded her concept to Italy, Spain, Portugal and the UK, with Asia and Australia following soon and has turned over over £1 million.  This worldwide expansion means that the business is now known as www.TotstoTravel.co.uk and is drawing acclaim from all over the world. 

In the three years since starting Tots to France, Wendy has won 4 awards including the Practical Parenting Business Parent of the Year Award 2009, BT Essence of the Entrepreneur Award and the Mother@Work Mumpreneur Award and was recently Highly Commended in the Remote Worker Awards 09.  She has been profiled in broad sheet newspapers, glossy magazines, business books, on radio and on TV, most recently the BBC’s Money Programme ‘Mum’s the Business’. 

Wendy is increasingly seen as a role model and mentor for women in business and has a growing media presence as an expert on family travel, small business development and as a pioneer in using the internet to achieve a better work/life balance.  Wendy was on the panel of judges for last year’s Enterprisnation Homeworker of the Year Award an inspirational speaker at the first ever Mumpreneur’s Conference in October 2009.

Wendy is a keen advocate for mumpreneurs and Work At Home Mums (WAHMs).  Her team includes over 20 mums from all over Europe whose job it is find and carefully vet all the holiday properties featured on the site. 

Antonia Chitty, PR expert and mumandworking mumpreneur guru

Back in 2002, Antonia Chitty was stuck in a job that just wasn’t working for her. She says, “I felt like I was trying to do a full weeks work in part time hours, and spending all my money on childcare. Other people were looking after my daughter, and I was missing out on her growing up.”

Antonia has a session with a life coach which set on the path to run her own business. She says, “I set up my own PR agency which focused on helping mums in business to do their own PR. That led to my first books, A Guide to Promoting Your Business and Family Friendly Working. I’m now working on my 9^th book, and take home money from my own business every month, enough money to pay the bills and more. I get to choose when I work, and more often than not work from home. And I love what I do. I have total control over my work.”

Antonia is now sharing her business expertise with any mum who wants to set up a business through The Mumpreneur Guide. She says, “Being your own boss comes with responsibilities. No-one else is going to do your work for you and sometimes it is a juggle to fit it all in: don’t sign up to become a Mumpreneur if you are afraid to work hard. But that’s where I can help you. You see, not only have I done it myself, I’ve worked with hundreds of women in business, and interviewed hundreds more for my books. I have access to advice from real business experts to share with you too.”

In October 2009 Antonia won “Inspirational Business Mum of the Year” Award at the Mumpreneur Conference.  

Helen Slingsby, career coach and mumandworking career agony aunt

Helen Slingsby is a career coach who set up Career Breakthrough to help people try to figure out what to do with the rest of their working life. Part of her time is spent helping women return to work and helping them combine work and family life. She does this through workshops and one-to one sessions.

Helen is a former business journalist and career changer who took time out to look after her two sons (now 9 and 11) and studied part-time to gain an MSc in Career Management and Counselling at Birkbeck College, London University.

Tracy Gardiner, author and coach

Following her own experiences Tracy decided to channel her skills in a different way by retraining as a coach in 2007 and setting up her own business, so Purple Path Coaching and Mums’ PATH were born.  Mums’ PATH provides coaching and support for mums, enabling them to be the best they can be, get the most out of life and enjoy their families to the full.

Helen Pritchard, mumandworking blogger and multi-business owner

Following the birth of her second child two short years after her first, Helen Pritchard from Grappenhall, Cheshire decided to take control of her life and become a role model for her two girls, and somehow working in finance at social services just wasn’t cutting it. In fact it soon dawned on her that working for someone else was unlikely to give opportunities for truly flexible working, nor regular trips to the Caribbean.

So a long held passion for reflexology was unearthed and embarking on numerous courses she qualified in all aspects of holistic therapy and promptly set up blueskyholistics specialising in holistic fertility and pregnancy treatments, soon becoming the local support for women trying for, having and just having had a baby as well as pampering and easing the stresses of the local mums. Working so closely within ‘the circuit’ led to training in Infant Massage and going on to teach community and private classes, to antenatal groups and to nursery nurses in private nurseries. The benefits of infant massage to babies and parents became very quickly apparent from the amazing and inspiring feedback from parents.

Helen wanted to bring those benefits to parents and carers in a fantastically accessible way and New Stork Times was born in Dec 2009. Instant access to instruction to help with colic, digestion problems, improve sleep patterns and calm your baby – all backed up with full community support and access to Helen herself without having to get your baby out to a community centre, at a set time, on a set day, praying for calm and contented, not hungry or upset or asleep!  Find out more at www.newstorktimes.co.uk