Cornerstone, one of Scotland's largest charities and a leading provider of services for people with disabilities and other support needs, recently celebrated the outstanding achievements and successes of its staff and the people it supports at an awards ceremony. Cornerstone employs over 2,000 staff, a number of whom attended the ceremony in Aberdeen.
More than 75 nominations were received for a variety of categories, which included Employee of the Year, Team of the Year, the Ambassador Award and the Outstanding Achievement of the Year Award.
A number of long service awards were also handed out to staff who had worked at Cornerstone for 10 and 20 years, as well as awards to recognise staff who had achieved Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ), or Professional Development Awards (PDA).
Nominees for the awards included several volunteers and staff who have gone above and beyond in their roles and duties, as well as a number of people supported by Cornerstone who have overcome a wide range of difficulties to achieve their goals, including losing weight, moving house and going on holiday for the first time.
Cornerstone chief executive Edel Harris said, “The awards were a fitting celebration of both those who work for the charity and those we support.
“Everyone at Cornerstone works tirelessly to enable the people we support to live a valued life – the life they choose. This work can often go unnoticed and unrecognised, so we are thrilled that so many people took the time to nominate others for an award.
“The past year has seen many highlights and successes for those working at Cornerstone and those we support. We are extremely proud of their many achievements, just some of which were celebrated at the awards.”
The Awards and Winners
Employee of the Year (joint winners)
Elizabeth Grant, team leader, Stonehaven. Elizabeth was nominated an impressive nine times by colleagues, who described her as ‘amazing and helpful’, ‘compassionate and understanding’, a ‘beacon of inspiration’, and a ‘colleague who empowers staff and residents to do the best they can’.
Louise Dickson, HR lead, Cornerstone Central, Glasgow. Louise is seen as the ‘go to’ person in her department and is a key staff member at Cornerstone. A long-serving member of staff, she was described as well-respected, and someone who is ‘approachable, friendly, knowledgeable and professional’.
Team of the Year
Birchview Respite Service, Moray. The judges considered the team at Birchview to be an excellent example of a team of people who go above and beyond for the people they support. They have great relationships with the families of people supported at the service and regularly organise social events and fundraisers. The excellence of the service is confirmed by the Care Inspectorate grades over the last two years - all scores of 6 (Excellent). However, what stands out most is the sense of a true team effort, with staff supporting and encouraging each other in delivering the best care possible.
Ambassador Award (joint winners)
Amit Singh and Max Fullarton, North Lanarkshire. Both former volunteers with Cornerstone Connect in North Lanarkshire, Amit and Max provided a longstanding commitment to the charity over several years, giving lots of their spare time and providing invaluable input, both in services and through fundraising efforts. They recently completed a walk from Edinburgh to Glasgow to raise funds that will enable people Cornerstone supports in its Connects service to go on a holiday.
Outstanding Achievement Award
Claire Parker supported at Dalmarnock, Glasgow. Claire is very involved in the National Involvement Network, and has enabled people with little spoken language to contribute their views by using Talking Mats. In order to do this, she underwent training in Edinburgh, carried out six interviews and appeared in a couple of videos. This is an achievement in itself for anyone, but was all the more so for Claire, who was feeling very nervous. Through this experience, Claire has had a real boost to her self-esteem and has helped others.
Going for Gold
Altonrea/Taransay, Aberdeen. Going for Gold is Cornerstone’s award for its top performing services. After whittling down to just five finalists, Altonrea/Taransay was selected as the winner. The staff at Altonrea/Taransay demonstrated a commitment to helping people Cornerstone supports achieve a real sense of ownership of their own lives. This encompasses many things, from involvement in a Judo Club to enabling volunteers to become actively involved in the service and opening up choices and opportunities to ensure that those they support are living life to the full.
SVQ & PDA Awards
This year, more than 60 staff completed either SVQ, or PDA through Cornerstone’s SQA-approved Training Academy, which provides high quality training courses for employees. They were presented with their awards at the event.
Long service awards for 10 and 20 years
A grand total of 67 members of staff who had reached 10 and 20 years’ service at Cornerstone were recognised with long-service awards.
