reopen the Earth Centre and [in the process] I led it through the two most successful years it ever had. “But I soon came to appreciate that I was doing something that truly mattered there as well. It was so ahead of its time. 23 years ago [those] ideas about the environment and sustainability weren’t so popular, and it was this that opened my eyes to their value. It was the start of my environmental education, so to speak.” Indeed, Suzy is far more conscious of these issues today and dedicates a great deal of her time to ensuring we look after our planet. Or, more specifically, that we look after our own country. As Chair of the Keep Britain Tidy charity, she valiantly campaigns to protect local places from the negative effects of littering and waste. Outlining the vital work that this organisation does, Suzy explains: “It’s such a great [charity] and we have grown phenomenally. I’ve been there for seven years now and we’ve made a huge impact in terms of everything from our Eco-Schools programme, to our efforts tidying up parks, beaches, riversides and other green spaces.” Urging Doncaster businesses to get involved here, she takes the opportunity to highlight one specific activity that always needs more volunteers: that being “The Great British Spring Clean”. The
Caring For Patients And Caring For Staff Doing right by the environment is not the only laudable cause that Suzy believes in, however. For almost 20 years, she has been fully committed to the health sector and to supporting NHS organisations in their efforts to provide the best possible care. UK’s largest mass-action environmental campaign, this litter-picking scheme already counts a number of major corporations — including Coco-Cola, Nestle, KFC and McDonald’s — amongst its contributors and in, 2023 alone, helped remove over 500,000 bags’ worth of waste across the country. Suzy continues: “Now in its 9th year, the Great British Spring Clean makes an immediate and visible difference to local areas, as well as to the mindsets of people who live in them. I’m really proud of what we have achieved and would encourage all Chamber members to take part as well.” For those who are interested in answering this call to be a “#LitterHero”, the campaign has returned once again for 2024. More information about it can be found on the Keep Britain Tidy website.
Her journey in this space began when she was appointed as a non-executive director at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, before she then served yet another term as a NED (this time over at Barnsley Hospital). She then finally became Chair of DBTH, where she is currently enjoying her 7th year in post. In that timespan, she has inevitably witnessed many ups-and-downs for the NHS, most notably a global pandemic that tested the limits of both the service itself and of its people. Crucially, though, Suzy maintains that the resilient spirit of our courageous health workers never faltered throughout that crisis. She reflects: “That was the very intriguing thing about the pandemic. It showed just how incredible our staff here at DBTH are. At the same time, it also emphasised the need for us to do more for them. In the beginning, we were very focused on efficiency and effectiveness, but it’s only through our people that we can achieve these goals in the first place.” Detailing how the Trust therefore went the extra mile for its staff, she continues: “We thought we were a compassionate employer before, but the various stresses and strains related to COIVD-19 made it clear there was still room for improvement. It made us think more paternalistically and drove us to introduce new wellbeing packages. For example,
we now offer a bike repair service to our staff, alongside reiki therapies, a tea trolley that goes around all the different departments, debt advice, menopause talks and more. “I sincerely believe DBTH has always been a very welcoming and very friendly environment to work in. But we’ve done a lot to enhance that culture lately because it’s what our staff deserve.” The judges at our 2023 Doncaster Business Awards must surely have agreed with this assessment, as DBTH ended up taking home the “Employer of the Year” trophy there. This was in recognition of all the steps that the organisation has taken over the past 12 months to nurture and celebrate its workforce, beyond what might be expected. Summarising this, Suzy adds: “We were thrilled to win [this accolade] because we truly want to be a good employer for our staff. There are unsung heroes at DBTH, some of whom have worked in the hospital for 50 years. That is a lifetime and such loyalty should not, and does not, go unnoticed. “We all know somebody who makes use of hospital services, but what many people overlook is that we have to invest in our own people too. After all, DBTH is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 7,000 colleagues across
a range of clinical and non-clinical roles. That’s everyone from our porters to our kitchen staff, nurses and, of course, our doctors. We believe it’s important to look after them because they [in turn] look after the population of Doncaster. It’s a privilege to be part of that.”
An Environmental Education Built in Conisbrough to commemorate the turn of the new millennium, The Earth Centre was an ambitious project designed to inform people about environmental issues and sustainability practices. Conceived of as both a visitor attraction and an educational resource, it had exhibitions on things like: recycling; renewable energy sources; water purification; and climate change. It was also a troubled venture right from the get-go, plagued as it was by financial troubles that forced it to prematurely close its doors, relatively soon after it opened. That’s where Suzy came in as CEO, to help get it back up-and-running. However, she concedes that she wasn’t driven to apply for this role out of any existing passion for the environment. “It was an opportunity for me to begin with”, she admits. “I mean, I’ve always separated my waste and recycled, but I wouldn’t say I was nerdy on any of that at the time. It’s important to remember that what I do is work with organisations to give them leadership. “What I’d say is that you can plan out your career as thoroughly as possible but, ultimately, you have to be prepared to take the best opportunities that come along. That’s why I took on the job to
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Suzy Brain
Suzy Brain
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