Ten years on, twenty employees now own 80% of the flourishing business, through a combination of direct shares, and shares held in an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) with the remaining shares held by an investor, Capital for Colleagues, an investment group who specialise in transitioning businesses to an employee owned model.
On Friday 28th June we held a special dinner, making full use of the Centre’s space and stunning backdrop of full-sized show houses, with over one hundred guests in attendance.
Popular BBC News presenter and journalist, Martine Croxall, hosted the evening, providing an insightful and highly-topical address on the importance of transparency and trust in the media, and introduced other guest speakers including James de le Vingne, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA).
"It was a treat to be invited to host the NSBRC's celebration evening. The hard work of the first ten years of employee ownership and the team spirit they've created meant the atmosphere during dinner and the awards ceremony was joyful! Harvey and the other employee owners should be very proud of what they've achieved."
Martine Croxall
Employee ownership is a rapidly growing business model in the UK and EO businesses regularly outperform non-EO peers in almost every metric – they’re 8-12% more productive and invest more in their people, innovation, and communities.
Congratulations to everyone at the NSBRC on 10 years of EO, and for celebrating with such flair! Your energy and enthusiasm for all you do, and for one another, as fellow employee-owners made for a very special evening. As early adopters of the EOT, it's fantastic to see you flourishing and to have this recognised by those closest to you. Thank you for inviting me and for being such fantastic EO advocates, you are certainly paving the way for others to follow.’
James de le Vingne, CEO of the Employee Ownership Association
‘We were thrilled to be able to celebrate such an important moment for our business with so many of our colleagues, friends and supporters. Every employee was invited to bring along their partner – as our EO culture has created a caring, family environment. We were also delighted to celebrate some of our key suppliers, such as our amazing cleaning team - who are often in the background - but have made a massive impact on the customer experience we deliver. Having the EOA represented by James, and the fantastic support of Martine, was the icing on the cake and made for a memorable, inspirational night for everyone’.
Harvey Fremlin, NSBRC Managing Director
The evening concluded with a surprise awards ceremony, where we recognised and thanked some of our valued suppliers and supporters who have helped the business across the last decade. You can see all our award winners pictured below, and you can find many more photos from the evening in our Employee Ownership 10 Year Celebration Gallery.
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Positive Community Impact Award Winner: Shirley Ludford, Swindon 105.5 Community Radio Station -
Making Connections Award Winner: Total Guide To Ltd -
Positive Business Impact Award Winner: Stuart Whant - Re-thinking Ltd -
Extended Team Award Winner: Constructive Media -
Extended Team Award Winner: MI Accountancy Solutions Ltd -
Consider it Done Award Winner: PG Events Ltd -
Consider it Done Award Winner: Creative Impression Electrical Contractors Ltd -
All Round Hero Award Winner: Willie Moyes -
Super Stars Award Winner: CSS Cleaning Services -
Employee Owner of the Year Award Winner: Kelly Boyce
Alongside recognising local suppliers, we also ensured local businesses benefited from the event with guests enjoying a magnificent three-course meal, cooked by local caterer Black Dog Catering (based in Royal Wootton Bassett) and the staging and lighting created by Corporate Events (located in Swindon).
Our Centre is easy to get to, located on Junction 16 of the M4 and parking is plentiful and free! Open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday, we have now welcomed over a quarter of a million visitors since first opening our doors in 2007.
Our next big event is the always popular Heat & Energy Workshop on Saturday 10th August. This free event will provide over a dozen talks with topics such as Heap Pumps, Solar, Electric Vehicles, Smart Controls and Rainwater Harvesting.
You can book free tickets for your next visit here.
The NSBRC, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UB
