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PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY
Laltex Group
Laltex Group, a UK importer and distributor of promotional and retail merchandise based in Leigh, has been awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise 2026 in the Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility category. The award recognises those organisations demonstrating an outstanding commitment to creating opportunities for people facing barriers to employment.
Team members Robert Townsend, Armaghan Hussain Butt and Jamie Holt
Laltex HQ in Leigh, Greater Manchester
Established in 1962, Laltex Group employs 231 staff and supplies customers across the UK and Ireland. As a long-standing employer in the Leigh area, the business has built strong community ties and a commitment to inclusive employment. A key part of this recognition is Laltex Group’s partnership with Seashell Trust, which began in 2005. This has developed into a structured supported employment initiative, helping individuals with severe learning difficulties and complex needs gain meaningful roles within warehouse and production operations. Since launching the programme in 2017, roles have been carefully tailored to individual strengths and supported through adaptive technologies, mentoring and disability awareness training
leading to permanent paid employment within the business. The impact extends beyond the workplace. One parent shared: “We are so grateful and extremely appreciative of everything that Laltex have done for Robert to enable his continued employment, and for the care and kindness that he is always shown by everyone.” Nationally, only 4.8% of college leavers with complex needs move into supported employment, however Seashell Trust has achieved a significantly higher rate of 24% in 2024, with Laltex Group’s partnership contributing to this success. The company has also invested over £100,000 in facility adaptations to ensure roles are accessible and appropriately supported.
Sanjay Mulchand, CEO of Laltex Group, says: “We are incredibly proud to receive this award. It reflects the dedication of our teams and reinforces our belief that every business can play a role in driving positive social change.” Laltex Group hopes this recognition encourages more businesses to consider inclusive employment opportunities.
LALTEX GROUP Laltex House, Leigh Commerce Park, Greenfold Way, Leigh, WN7 3XH Tel: 01942 687000 • Gill.Lalley@laltex.com ww.laltex.com Laltex Group Promotional Merchandise
OurCoop
The Sandwell Colleges
OurCoop is the UK’s largest independent co-operative society, owned by more than one million members and run by 13,000 colleagues serving communities nationwide. The society trades nationally,
The Sandwell Colleges - the largest further education college in the West Midlands, working with over 13,000 young people, apprentices and adults across three colleges and seven campuses in Sandwell and Birmingham. The Colleges are proud to
OurCoop is the UK’s largest independent co-operative society
Principal/CEO Lisa Capper MBE with T-Level students and hydraPower’s Sonia Smalling, HR Business Partner
while staying rooted in the places it serves. OurCoop’s footprint spans regions including Gloucestershire, Cheshire, Lancashire and Essex, holding to the co-operative values that have shaped it for generations. Its family of businesses reaches into everyday life across food, travel, funeral care, early years and utilities, with almost 500 FoodCoop stores, over 70 TravelCoop branches, more than 150 FuneralCoop locations and upwards of 40 Little Pioneers nurseries. Each one is owned by its members. OurCoop received a King’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of its work promoting social mobility. This includes Fairer Futures and Fairer Access to Work, which provide meaningful employment opportunities and confidence-building for individuals facing barriers such as disability, social anxiety, homelessness or displacement. OurCoop is also a founding partner of Bright Future Co-op, which helps survivors of modern slavery rebuild their lives through pathways into employment. Building on this foundation, OurCoop will continue investing in partnerships that open doors and change lives for members, colleagues and communities alike. OURCOOP Co operative House, Warwick Technology Park, Warwick, CV34 6DA Tel: 01926 516000 • www.midcounties.coop @your.coopfood/ yourcoop/ themidcountiescooperative
have been honoured with the highly prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in recognition of a pioneering work experience project ‘Go Further’. The accolade celebrates the impressive impact of the Colleges’ ground-breaking collaboration with employer partners and specifically with hydraPower dynamics, which is transforming opportunities for young people and strengthening the region’s engineering talent pipeline. Go Further has been transformative in preparing young people from a range of backgrounds in winning and completing industry placements, and with eight young engineers employed over the last eighteen months. CEO and Principal, Lisa Capper MBE, says: “We are deeply honoured to receive this award which reflects the strength of our commitment to enabling young people to succeed and progress no matter what their background or starting point.” THE SANDWELL COLLEGES 1 Spon Lane, West Bromwich, B70 6AW Tel: 0800 622 006 • enquiries@sandwell.ac.uk • www.sandwell.ac.uk sandwell-college SandwellCollege @sandwell.college @SandwellCollegeTube @sandwellcollege
King’s Awards Magazine 2026
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