Local businesses put families first with the Ni4kids Family Awards
Businesses across Northern Ireland have been incredibly supportive of our plans to host the first awards in honour of local families and the individuals and organisations that support them.
Ni4kids are thrilled to announce that we will be partnering with THE OUTLET, in Banbridge as our title sponsorship partner to deliver the event.
The OUTLET’s marketing manager, Siobhan McKeown explains why they were so keen to come on board and support the initiative. “The OUTLET is delighted to become the title sponsor of the inaugural Ni4kids Family Awards 2012. We have a longstanding relationship with Ni4kids and over the years they have been instrumental in supporting The OUTLET as a family friendly retail destination.
Ni4kids Family Awards 2012 aims to recognise and support the people and organisations who work so hard to make Northern Ireland such a fantastic place to raise a family. As a mum myself I recognise the effort organisations and attractions put into catering for a family audience, and as the marketing manager at The OUTLET I understand the value of being able to genuinely deliver attractions and events that support family days out. I think it is fantastic that NI4kids aims to award events, attractions, organisations and even family members. Their work so often goes unnoticed.
The OUTLET is 100% committed to catering for families from all over Ireland. Our shops include stores that have a wide selection of childrenswear such as Mamas & Papas, Gap Outlet, M&S Outlet and The Nike Factory Store. Other stores like Vans, Billabong, Fatface, Timberland and our outerwear shops such as Tog 24, Mountain Warehouse and Trespass all cater for everyone – from mums and dads to toddlers and teens – whatever the weather, whatever the season. Next Clearance is also opening at The OUTLET in time for Christmas, they aim to bring a huge selection of childrenswear as part of their commitment to support The OUTLET’s family offering.
We work very hard to make The OUTLET a family friendly shopping destination and have created a number of unique partnerships to truly make us stand out as an attraction, to find out more log on to www.the-outlet.co.uk. We would be delighted to welcome NI4Kids readers to The OUTLET, friends of NI4Kids are friends of ours."
Primary School Teacher of the Year
Vanessa Postle, community affairs manager for Northern Bank said of their support for the initiative: "Northern Bank is pleased to support the Ni4kids Family Awards. As a local bank we recognise the significant role that primary school teachers play in the lives of young people in Northern Ireland. We work closely with primary schools every year through our financial literacy programmes and have had the privilege of working with some of Northern Ireland’s most committed, passionate teachers. At Northern Bank we feel they deserve to be publicly recognised and celebrated for their efforts in influencing and inspiring our future generation. Without their dedication and enthusiasm many pupils may not reach their full potential.
Mum of the Year
Mum of the Year Category sponsor Semichem’s regional business manager for Northern Ireland, David Thompson added: "Semichem is delighted to be sponsoring the Mum of the Year Category in the prestigious Ni4kids Family Awards 2012. We all know that mums are special. They do so much for their children that the list is too long to mention here. And very often we take what they do for granted, not only the cooking and cleaning and taxi service, but also the love and attention they give to their children and the many sacrifices they make.
"Sponsoring the Mum of the Year category is a great fit for us as mums are our business. We look forward to receiving the nominations as we know we’re going to hear some wonderful stories about the great mums across Northern Ireland."
Visitor Attraction of the Year - Large
Belfast International Airport is delighted to be partnering with ni4kids. The experience of coming to the International Airport for the first time to see ‘the big planes’ and to depart on a family holiday provides a life-long memory for children all across Northern Ireland. These children are our customers for decades to come. It is an honour for the airport to be supporting them in their development.
Coach or Tutor of the Year
Aer Lingus has just celebrated our fourth anniversary of flying from Belfast and over the last four years we have received fantastic support from the people in Northern Ireland. Since launching our Belfast base we have worked closely with Ni4kids to promote our schools competition and community activities.
We believe in building strong relationships and supporting the communities we are based in and are very proud to sponsor an award category that provides a unique opportunity for us to celebrate those coaches and tutors who tirelessly dedicate their time and energy to bring out the best in the next generation.
Grandparent of the Year
At RIAS we are proud to support the NI4Kids Family Awards as we recognise the important role that grandparents play in the lives of their grandchildren. In 2011 we saw the cost of childcare rise by almost 5&percent; and grandparents continued to step in to support working parents, providing a fundamental and crucial benefit to families. RIAS believe that both grandparents and grandchildren benefit enormously from spending more time with each other and it's great for grandparents to be rewarded for their contribution to busy family lives.
Family Visitor Attraction of the Year - Small
2012 truly is the year for families to get out and about and explore more, discovering the great range of activities and visitor attractions that is on offer. NITB is proud to sponsor the Family Visitor Attraction (Small) award, recognising the providers of great family days out in Northern Ireland.
Childcare of the Year Award
Colette McCartney, founder of BT9 Nanny Services who provide nannies and mannies across the city of Belfast and beyond, "I am delighted that BT9 Nanny Services is sponsoring the NI4Kids Childcare Award. Scheduling work and other commitments can be much easier with the flexible support of childcare. For so many families childcare is essential part of daily life".