UCLan partner scoops two awards

UCLan Sports Coaching & Sports Development partner FUNDA received double recognition at the fourth annual Red Rose Awards.

More than 1,100 representatives of Lancashire businesses attended the glittering ceremony held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens. TV and radio personality Graham Liver compered the event, and awards were handed out across 25 categories.

UCLan graduate and FUNDA founder Kieran Fletcher accompanied his team to the event following their nomination for the Caring Employer of The Year Award. Despite stiff competition, FUNDA were announced as winners and received their award from Claire Fryer, Managing Director of Mosaic Community Care.

Kieran said: "We were delighted to receive the award and started to celebrate together - as you know our staff are renowned for FUN! All businesses were having a fabulous evening networking when a special award chosen by Richard Slater, publisher of Lancashire Business View, was presented to FUNDA. Both awards were unexpected and the last one was the biggest award of the night. I wasn't ready for it and didn't even have chance to put my bow tie back on for the winning photos!"

FUNDA promotes sports, education and creative play to children and is the North West's largest children's sports coaching and activity provider. The company employs 28 full-time coaches who deliver programmes to get the most inactive children active. Kieran originally ran his business out of UCLan's Northern Lights business hub, which provides supports to fledgling student and graduate businesses.

Kieran thanked the Northern Lights team for their support: "The programme gave me the entrepreneurial desire to start up my business and without their support at start-up it would have been difficult to structure my company and protect all the intellectual property."

John Duckworth, Business Advisor for Northern Lights commented: "The Northern Lights team would like to congratulate Kieran and all his staff at FUNDA for winning not one but two of these prestigious awards. They are well deserved and reflect the hard work FUNDA has put in over the last three years to lay the foundations for future growth."

For more information about FUNDA please click here or call: 0843 523 5709.