A double win for Open Door!

Both winners received their trophies at a ceremony held at Manchester’s The Edwardian hotel, with Faith accepting her award from Jordan’s mum Jennifer. The award was established to honour former our IT worker Jordan, who sadly passed away last year, and was a person who truly lived our values.

They were both nominated by psychological service manager Samantha Stockdale. She said: “Sana joined us as a volunteer and has soared in her role. She is calm in the face of a crisis, has a diligent and thorough approach to her work, is unfailingly kind and brave and constantly thinks on her feet about how to best meet the needs of others.”

Regarding Faith’s nomination, Sam explained: "It was clear from her first week that Faith was calm, considered and had a range of skills that benefited the whole team, including her knowledge of social work and British Sign Language. She quickly emerged as a key member, and her support comes from the perspective of real, lived experience of what many of the people we work with are going through.”

Sana said of her award, which was judged by Paragon Skills operations coordinator Emily Blackburn and our Chief of Operations Nick Farmer: “I'm incredibly honoured to receive the Outstanding Contribution Award. I must give a special shoutout to my manager, Sam Stockdale, who believed in me from the very start when I was a volunteer. The unwavering support from Sam and Making Space has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally and make this achievement possible.”

For 20-year-old Faith, receiving the Jordan Carrington Kind Hearted Award was a welcome surprise, as she had no idea she was in line to receive the final trophy of the day. Faith was originally shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year Award for the work she did with Open Door before becoming a recovery worker. All the finalists were considered for the Jordan Carrington Kind Hearted Award - and judges unanimously selected Faith as the first recipient.

Faith said: “I’ve been a carer my whole life, before I even realised what that meant. I’ve watched the professionals come and go from a very young age and seen how much they’ve helped the people I love, and I’ve always known that’s what I wanted to do as a career.

“Winning this award, and being presented with it by Jordan’s mum, was so overwhelming. I don’t do any of this for myself, so when other people say I’ve helped I know that I’m on the right path.”

Our CEO Rachel Peacock said: “I am continually inspired by the amazing work of our colleagues in social care, and Sana and Faith truly deserve the recognition they have received. We are immensely proud of all our team members and grateful for the positive impact they make.”

Now in their third year, our Colleague Awards are held to recognise and pay tribute to the individuals and teams amongst the charity’s 1000 nationwide employees who inspire others, go above and beyond expectations and make a real difference.

The awards were made possible thanks to generous sponsorship from businesses around the country. The Outstanding Contribution Award was sponsored by Marr Procurement, and the Jordan Carrington Kind Hearted Award was sponsored by office supply and workplace solution company Lyreco.