Heather Hooks Top Award for Work With Young Anglers
Fishing coach Heather Foulkes has hooked a top award for her outstanding commitment to her job and for being ‘an inspiration’ in her voluntary work with young anglers.
Heather, who has just been named the Midlands Regional Winner in the prestigious Recognition Awards 2008, netted the accolade for her work at the Get Hooked on Fishing charity based in Bournville, Birmingham. The charity uses fishing as a therapeutic tool for people who may have learning difficulties, or who suffer from behavioural problems such as ADHD, or who may be recovering from illness or bereavement.
Her interest in fishing started when her son Alec, now 17, was diagnosed as being severely dyslexic at just five years old.
“Alec always loved fishing, and would spend hours as a little boy playing in the streams trying to catch anything and everything!” explained Heather.
As he got older, Heather realised just what an incredibly beneficial effect the fishing scheme was having upon Alec.
“Fishing is a great leveller,” added Heather. “Just because a youngster has a few problems doesn’t mean that he or she can’t be a great fisherman. At the time, Alec was having a lot of problems with bullying and low self-esteem, but fishing really helped him experience success.
“I had to spend a lot of time waiting around for him, so I decided to put that time to good use and volunteered to help,” added Heather.
Heather has been a volunteer at ‘Get Hooked’ for the last five years, and last year qualified as an angling coach. She is also well known at Alec’s former primary school, St Francis in Bournville, where for the past 11 years she has volunteered to write and direct the annual pantomime.
The Recognition Awards 2008 were designed specifically to acknowledge the contribution and dedication of staff in small businesses or organisations. Now in their fifth year, the Awards were created by Recognition Express Ltd, a specialist supplier of corporate recognition products, and focused on people who went the extra mile and could always be relied on to do more than is expected.
Heather was nominated for her award by colleague Andy Walker, who described her as “a great example and an inspiration to others”. As one of just four regional winners, Heather will now go through to the national finals at the end of October.
The picture shows Heather receiving her Regional Winner plaque from (left) Ian Wilmer, owner of Recognition Express Solihull, with colleague Andy Walker (right) who nominated Heather for her award.
About Recognition Express
Recognition Express was established in the UK in 1979 and is now the European market leader in corporate recognition products. It is a franchise organisation with a network of 43 franchisees operating across the UK and five master franchisees across Europe. All franchisees are profitable and network turnover has grown year on year every year.
It is the UK’s leading franchise specialising in badge manufacture, signs, business gifts, plaques, awards and promotional products, and this year celebrated 30 years of business excellence. As an approved RNIB supplier, each franchisee is trained to produce Braille and tactile signage in compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. In 2003 it was awarded the British Franchise Association Franchisor of the Year.
For further information go to: www.recognition-express.com