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Businesses celebrate King's Awards recognition

Sarah SandersonEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire political reporter
BBC A young woman with long dark hair smiles into the camera. She is standing in an office which has pictures on the wall. She is wearing a dark top. BBC
Zayla Hutchinson was recruited by the Sewell Group after completing work experience with them

Six businesses in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are celebrating after they were recognised with a King's Award for Enterprise.

Hull-based firms Ideal Heating, M B Roache & Sons Ltd, Sewell Group, VUBA Surfaces, and Grantham-based Vaculug Limited and Valour Consultancy Limited are amongst the 185 winners.

Each company was recognised for "outstanding achievements" in categories such as innovation, international trade and sustainable development.

Jo Barnes, managing director of the Sewell Group, which was recognised for promoting opportunity, said: "It really recognises from the highest offices in the land that we actually do what we say we do in terms of social value."

The King's Award for Enterprise is the highest official UK award for British businesses.

Barnes added: "Some of the talent we've recruited by being a bit more proactive and working with schools and colleges, but also working with local charities.

"We've found some amazing young people and they will be the future of our business."

A man with short blonde hair smiles into the camera. He is wearing a blue top and is standing in an office within the Sewell Group headquarters in Hull.
Trainee quantity surveyor and estimator, Markos Fakiolas, was offered a role at the Sewell Group following a work placement

Zayla Hutchinson, 19, from Hull, came to the Sewell Group on work experience from CatZero Humber, a charity that supports people into employment and training.

Following her work experience at one of the business's convenience stores, Zayla was offered full-time work as a retail staff member.

She says it can be challenging for young people to find work and explained how important this opportunity was for her.

"Going through life and having so many jobs where you've been let down and then you come to the Sewell Group and you actually finally get the opportunity to do something.

"It's a proud moment."

Markos Fakiolas, from Driffield, is a trainee quantity surveyor and estimator at the Sewell Group.

The 19-year-old joined the business for work experience in 2024 and went on to work one day a week while he completed his A-levels.

Markos was later offered a full-time role and believes his employers had contributed positively to the area.

"It really has an impact on people living here. We're able to get jobs in our local area which means we don't have to travel miles away," he said.

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