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Our 2023 Colleague Awards
Local pharmacies, post offices, travel branches, funeral homes and food stores have been recognised for providing exceptional services to the community.
Lincolnshire Co-op has been celebrating colleagues all over its business, selecting bronze, silver, and gold Branches of the Year, alongside awarding individuals and teams under three categories; trustworthy, inspiring, and helpful.
Gold Food Store of the Year was given to Barnbygate Food Store in Newark, as the team achieved the highest overall customer satisfaction score.
Lynn Wilson-Henderson, Team Leader at Barnbygate Food Store in Newark, said: “We’re always striving to be better, do our best for our customers, and ensure that they leave our store feeling happy!
“We were over the moon to find out that we’d won again, it’s amazing to see all our hard work has paid off.”
The silver spot was awarded to Alford Food Store, and Clipstone in Mansfield took bronze.
Competition between Lincolnshire Co-op food stores is tough – overall, the branches hit a satisfaction rate of 77%, which is 12% above the industry benchmark.
In pharmacy, Liquorpond Pharmacy in Boston was named Gold Pharmacy Branch of the Year after being scored on training, audits, and services provided, which includes flu vaccinations, blood pressure checks, and support for patients managing new medications.
Debbie Winrow, Team Leader at Liquorpond Pharmacy, said: “We’ve got a great mix of characters in our team, we all complement each other and work together brilliantly.
“We’ve been working hard consistently, achieving bronze and silver in previous years, but to finally reach the top feels absolutely fantastic!”
Two branches shared silver; Birchwood Pharmacy in Lincoln and Barrowby Gate Pharmacy in Grantham. Swineshead Pharmacy won bronze.
Gold Travel Branch of the Year was awarded to Boston Travel, who have worked extra hard to maintain customers and attract new ones since moving out of the town centre.
Hannah Christian, Assistant Manager at Boston Travel, said: “We were really excited to see our efforts recognised, after a tough few years in the travel industry.
“Coming out of the town centre, we were worried we may lose custom, but actually we have just gone from strength to strength, and I think a large part of that is down to great teamwork.”
Spalding Travel were awarded silver, as they continued to hit targets and ensure customer satisfaction while managing a very busy period.
Having exceeded targets and made significant contributions to community fundraising, Chapel St Leonards Post Office were given Gold Post Office Branch of the Year.
Manager at Chapel St Leonards, Tina Holmes, said: “We work well so together and we all contribute. We all want the best for the post office and our customers so we’re all dedicated to that. We have some lovely customers too!
“We like getting involved with the community. We teamed up with the food store for a walk for Breast Cancer Now and we regularly run raffles and have our second-hand book sale for Community Champions.
“We’ve also taken part in volunteering which is great for team building and also, for meeting other people from around the business.”
The silver honour went to Gainsborough Post Office, as the team made a great effort to engage with their community and provide exceptional customer service.
Gold Funeral Home of the Year went to Grimsby Funeral Home, as the team adapted quickly to changes within the team and received a large amount of positive feedback from families that they helped.
Louise Coggle-Smith, Funeral Services Manager, said: “Louth is a small team and they work hard. They also have to be very efficient as they are not a 9am to 5pm branch like some others - they have to make everything count.
This year, they’ve gone from strength to strength, working so well as a team, and I’m so proud of them. The team from Louth have also been very supportive.”
Gainsborough Funeral Home won silver, as they managed any challenges while maintaining high standards of service.
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