Here’s why you should enter the commercial business in the community award category in the 2019 Fenland Enterprise Business Awards, according to the team at Metalcraft, who took home the title last year.

• What has happened at Metalcraft since winning the Commercial Business in the Community Award in 2018?

Since winning the Commercial Business in the Community Award, we’ve distributed another two rounds of funding to local organisations and projects.

Beneficiaries have included Chatteris Museum, campaigns to fund defibrillators in Chatteris and Manea, Benwick Forget Me Not Club, Manea Primary School and Fenland Music Centre Association, among others.

Our apprentices have also been out and about in the local community, proving hands-on support for a number of community projects, which is great experience for them too.

• What have been the company’s main challenges in 2018/19?

2018/19 was another good year for the business so the biggest challenge we currently face is a positive one: recruiting people with the right skills to meet demand.

We’re continuing to recruit new apprentices into the business but developing engineering skills takes time so we’re always on the look out for more, talented individuals to join the team.

• What has been your biggest success in 2018/19?

On the commercial side, the first 3m3 box for use decommissioning intermediate level waste at Sellafield was recently signed off.

This is a real landmark for the project, which is a key part of our growth plans.

We were also delighted to win a number of local, industry and national awards for our training schemes, our work in the community, and our innovations as a supply chain partner.

We’ve also been able to increase the budget for the Metalcraft Community Fund and open applications to four neighbouring villages, allowing us to support more local communities.

• What are Metalcraft plans for 2019 and beyond?

We have ambitious growth plans for the business encompassing the nuclear decommissioning, medical technologies and energy markets.

We’re committed to growing our own workforce and will continue recruiting apprentices to help develop the next generation of skilled engineers.

We will also continue to support the Metalcraft Community Fund and, subject to business performance, hope to increase the level of funding that is available each year.

• What did winning the awards mean to you and what would you say to businesses thinking about entering the awards for the first time?

It was really gratifying to be recognised for our work in the community. Considering almost 50 per cent of our engineering talent is home grown, the community is vital to our success and it’s great to be able to give something back and support the good work that’s already going on.

The award doesn’t just recognise the Metalcraft Community Fund, but also the success of the projects we support.

We’d definitely recommend taking the time to enter the awards to any business.

They are a great way to raise the profile of your business and its associated activities while learning from the experiences of other winners and finalists to boost your own performance further.

To sponsor this category email Ashleigh Jackson via Ashleigh.jackson@archant.co.uk

Entry Criteria

Objective – What environmental, social or economic projects are your company involved in and why?

Strategy – Give details of your strategy including logistics, funding and organisational challenges.

Impact– Give details of the contribution the project has made to the environment or community.

Commitment to future– Give details of future project or explain how current projects require continuous support.