Leading small business owners from across the UK who volunteer to support the wider SME community through the UK’s biggest business representation group have been recognised at a high-profile national event.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) provides opportunities for its members to volunteer to play a key role in giving a big voice to the small business community with political decision-makers and other stakeholders at all levels across the UK.
TV presenter Kate Humble hosted an online ‘Volunteer Recognition’ celebration, where more than 125 entrepreneurs were given thanks for the contribution they make on behalf of small businesses in their local areas.
There were no ‘winners’ as this event, which was held on Tuesday 8 February, but instead it was a chance to recognise and acknowledge all our volunteers in four separate areas of activity – this included those who help FSB and the wider business community with policy, events, media and sales.
FSB felt that it was important that our small business owning volunteers were highlighted for the time and effort they put in to support others – especially at a time when they have had so many other challenging issues facing their own businesses.
FSB is rightfully proud of the selfless work done by its volunteers. It was a pleasure to hear from stakeholders about the work done by our members to ensure the voice of small businesses is loudly heard in every part of the UK.
Watch the event video at https://www.fsb.org.uk/join-us/volunteer.html
FSB’s National Chair Mike Cherry said:
“The UK’s 5.5 million small businesses and self-employed are not only the backbone of the economy, they are also at the heart of local communities – creating innovation, growth, jobs and opportunities. Our passionate volunteers are a key part of FSB giving a powerful and authentic voice when it comes to the needs, experiences and aspirations of hard-working entrepreneurs right across the UK, and I’m extremely proud to have seen that celebrated at FSB’s Volunteer Recognition 2022. Alongside our expert staff team, our volunteers help to make FSB such an effective campaigning and business support organisation, in touch constantly with its members.”
Julianne Ponan, CEO Creative Nature said:
“I was absolutely honoured to be able to supply our Top 14 Allergen Free Gnawbles chocolate snacks for the FSB Volunteers recognition event. We saw hundreds of incredible comments where people were able to enjoy their goody bags no matter their dietary requirements. As a small business owner myself, I know first-hand how incredibly important they are in helping entrepreneurs and campaigning for the best for small business.
“The event was inspirational to see so many faces virtually and recognise the hard work going on across the country. Giving my time to speak at events for FSB makes me feel like I’m really making a difference to help other entrepreneurs.”
Those recognised at the event (for media, events, policy, and sales) included:
Name | Elected Role or Volunteer | Location |
---|---|---|
Richard Asghar-Sandys | National Council | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Angela Atkinson | Area Lead | Somerset & Wiltshire |
Heidi Chamberlain-Jones | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Daryl Chambers | Volunteer | Staffs & West Midlands |
Taruna Chauhan | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Jacky Clarke | Volunteer | Sussex |
Debbie Clement-Large | Volunteer | Devon |
Simon Cox | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Jenny Cross | Area Lead | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Grace Graham | Volunteer | London |
Scott Grenney | Volunteer | Devon |
Lee Harris-Hamer | National Council | York & North Yorkshire |
Rowena Howie | EPU Rep | London |
Bayo Igoh | Volunteer | London |
Julie Jordan-Spence | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Jonathan Keable | Volunteer | Devon |
Sarah Marsh-Collings | Volunteer | London |
Lee Nathan | Regional Chair | South West Region |
Ian O’Donnell | Chair, Regulation Policy Unit | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Mark Owen | Volunteer | Gloucestershire & Bristol |
Celia Rizothanasi | Volunteer | London |
Chandra Sharma | Volunteer | London |
Dave Sharpe | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Andy Skinner | Area Lead | East Anglia |
Deborah Turner | Area Lead | Kent & Medway |
Michael Weedon | Chair, Retail Policy Unit | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Hannah Williams | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Name | Elected Role or Volunteer | Location |
---|---|---|
Irshad Akbar | Area Lead | South & East Yorkshire & The Humber |
David Bell | Regional Chair | East of England |
Jane Binnion | Volunteer | Lancs & Cumbria |
Terry Botfield | Volunteer | Sussex |
Amanda Bourne | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Cheryl-lya Broadfoot | Volunteer | London |
Ruth Brown-Shepherd | Volunteer | West Yorkshire |
Sophie Burley-Brown | Volunteer | Merseyside & Cheshire |
Nikki Burns | Area Lead | Thames Valley |
Mel Byles | Area Lead | South Wales |
Heidi Chamberlain-Jones | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Edward Chapman | Area Lead | Cornwall |
David Clare | Area Lead | London |
Christopher Clark | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Jenny Cross | Area Lead | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Amanda Daly | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Rob Dewing | Regional Chair | South Central Region |
Kamal Dhutia | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Dawn Edwards | Volunteer | Notts & Derbyshire |
Jemma Fairclough-Haynes | Volunteer | Kent & Medway |
Wendy Flanagan | Volunteer | Kent & Medway |
Sandra Garlick | Area Lead | Warwickshire & Coventry |
Yvonne Gorman | Volunteer | Notts & Derbyshire |
Schnel Hanson | Volunteer | London |
Rob Harrison | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Rachel Hayward | Area Lead | Notts & Derby |
Frankie Hobro | Wales Policy Unit | Wales |
Michael Janes | Area Lead | North East |
Mike Johnson | Area Lead | Lincolnshire |
Julie Jordan-Spence | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Liz Katz | Area Lead | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Rachel Kay | Area Lead | Lancs & Cumbria |
Yvette Lamidey | Area Lead | Thames Valley |
Lucy Lewin | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Sarah Marsh-Collings | Volunteer | London |
Kenneth McKenzie | Volunteer | Highlands & Islands |
Mo Aksar Mohammad | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Penny Morgan | Area Lead | East Anglia |
Zeenat Noorani | Volunteer | London |
Ian O’Donnell | Chair, Regulation Policy Unit | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Sat Pillai | Chair, Environment Policy Unit | London |
Elaine Pritchard | Volunteer | Staffs & West Midlands |
Celia Rizothanasi | Volunteer | London |
Merewyn Sayers | Area Lead | West Yorkshire |
Peter Searle | Volunteer | Kent & Medway |
Chandra Sharma | Volunteer | London |
Neil Sharpley | Chair, Home Office & Ministry of Justice Policy Unit | Lincolnshire |
Andy Skinner | Area Lead | East Anglia |
Clare Trice | Area Lead | Cornwall |
Deborah Turner | Area Lead | Kent & Medway |
David Webb | Area Lead | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Pauline Weddell | Volunteer | Scotland |
Samantha White | Area Lead | Lincolnshire |
Eli Wilkinson | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Hannah Williams | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Sally Woods | Area Lead | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Name | Elected Role or Volunteer | Location |
---|---|---|
Gareth Alexander | Area Lead | South & East Yorkshire & The Humber |
Norman Arnold | Volunteer | Isle of Wight, South Central |
Richard Asghar-Sandys | National Council | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Gill Askew | EPU Rep | Yorkshire, The Humber & North East Region |
Richard Askew | Deputy Chair, English Policy Unit | Yorkshire, The Humber & North East Region |
Angela Atkinson | Area Lead | Somerset & Wiltshire |
David Avery | Volunteer | Devon |
Helen Barge | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
David Barnes | Area Lead | Essex |
David Bell | Regional Chair | East of England |
Rich Bishop | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Holly Bonfield | National Council | Manchester |
Nikki Burns | Area Lead | Thames Valley |
Charles Burns | Volunteer | Hampshire, Isle of Wight & West Surrey |
Craig Carey-Cinch | EPU Rep | South West Region |
David Caro | Area Lead | Staffordshire & West Midlands |
Edward Chapman | Area Lead | Cornwall |
Caroline Chapman | Volunteer | York & North Yorkshire |
Phil Collier | Volunteer | Lancs & Cumbria |
Tim Colman | Area Lead | Hampshire, Isle of Wight & West Surrey |
Simon Cox | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Steve Cox | Volunteer | Manchester |
Rob Dewing | Regional Chair | South Central Region |
Kamal Dhutia | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Kelly Dunn | Volunteer | York & North Yorkshire |
Clare Elsby | EPU Rep | East Midlands Region |
Sean Farnell | Volunteer | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Karen Ferris | Volunteer | Somerset & Wiltshire |
Wendy Flanagan | Volunteer | Kent & Medway |
Gavin Foster | Volunteer | Hampshire, Isle of Wight & West Surrey |
Ben Francis | Chair, Wales Policy Unit | Wales |
Kim Gilmour | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Joanne Goodman | Volunteer | Hampshire, Isle of Wight & West Surrey |
Michael Green | Area Lead | Devon |
Mike Gregory | Area Lead | East Surrey |
Lee Harris-Hamer | National Council | York & North Yorkshire |
Yvette Hastings | Area Lead | Merseyside & Cheshire |
Frankie Hobro | Wales Policy Unit | Wales |
Rowena Howie | EPU Rep | London |
Tim Hunter-Henderson | National Council | Isle of Wight, South Central |
Anthony Hurley | Volunteer | Manchester |
Saira Hussain | Chair, Employment Policy Unit | Manchester |
Michael Janes | Area Lead | North East |
Liz Katz | Area Lead | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Jonathan Keable | Volunteer | Devon |
Yvette Lamidey | Area Lead | Thames Valley |
Chris Manka | Regional Chair | North West Region |
Laurence Martin | Volunteer | Hampshire, Isle of Wight & West Surrey |
Mike Matthews | Volunteer | Devon |
John Mayer | Area Lead | Somerset & Wiltshire |
Kenneth McKenzie | Volunteer | Highlands & Islands |
Nishi Mehta | EPU Rep | West Midlands |
Alison North | Board Director | Somerset & Wiltshire |
Maggie O’Carroll | Volunteer | Merseyside & Cheshire |
Ian O’Donnell | Chair, Regulation Policy Unit | Coventry & Warwickshire |
Graham Oakley | Volunteer | Staffs & West Midlands |
Nick Parkes | Volunteer | Notts & Derbyshire |
Hayley Pells | Wales Policy Unit | Wales |
Les Phillimore | Regional Chair | East Midlands |
Sat Pillai | Chair, Environment Policy Unit | London |
Debbie Porter | Volunteer | Notts & Derbyshire |
Michael Sandys | Area Lead | Merseyside & Cheshire |
David Scott | Area Lead | Devon |
Chandra Sharma | Volunteer | London |
Ken Simpson | Area Lead | Gloucester & Bristol |
Catherine Smith | Volunteer | Cornwall |
Paul Stevens | Volunteer | West Yorkshire |
Lash Suranna | Volunteer | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Alison Theaker | Volunteer | Devon |
Clare Trice | Area Lead | Cornwall |
Deborah Turner | Area Lead | Kent & Medway |
Jane Walton | Chair, Education & Childcare Policy Unit | West Yorkshire |
Daniel Walton | Area Lead | West Midlands |
Paul Wareham | EPU Rep | North West Region |
Russell Warner | Area Lead | Gloucester & Bristol |
Neil Warwick | Chair, Foreign Affairs Policy Unit | North East England |
David Webb | Area Lead | Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire |
Francis West | National Lead, Cyber Security | Hertfordshire |
Hollie Whittles | Regional Chair | West Midlands Region |
Simon Williams | Regional Chair | Yorkshire, The Humber & North East England Region |
Darren Winter | Volunteer | North East England |
Sally Woods | Area Lead | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Brian Woods | Volunteer | South East |
Name | Elected Role or Volunteer | Location |
---|---|---|
David Bell | Regional Chair | East of England |
Debbie Clement-Large | Volunteer | Devon |
Amanda Daly | Volunteer | Leics, Northants & Rutland |
Clare Elsby | EPU Rep | East Midlands Region |
Yvette Lamidey | Area Lead | Thames Valley |
Rowena Pearce | Volunteer | South & East Yorkshire |