Dartington Recognised For Corporate Social Responsibility
Dartington Hall has been shortlisted for a prestigious charity award in recognition of its corporate social responsibility programme.
The hospitality and leisure arm of The Dartington Hall Trust, which trades as a not-for-profit social enterprise, has been recognised by leading third sector magazine Charity Times for its work with local prison, HMP Channings Wood.
A creative and innovative programme has been devised to help the prisoners reintegrate into society while at the same time benefitting the Trust, its charities and initiatives.
The programme, called ‘Inside Out’, includes providing the prisoners with a shop on the estate to sell their own handmade furniture, working with Duchy College to teach them how to grow vegetables which can then be supplied to the hotel, providing a laundry service for Dartington Hall and involving prisoners in arts projects.
The nomination follows an award it received earlier this year from Conde Nast Johansens for Sustainable Hospitality and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Deborah Heather of The Dartington Hall Trust is delighted to have reached the shortlist for the award, which will be presented to the winner at a gala dinner at Lancaster London Hotel on 18 October 2012.
“It is great to be recognised for the work the Trust is doing with the men at Channings Wood, as this epitomises the ethos of visionaries Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst who bought and restored the magnificent estate in the 1920s,” she said.
“Our Social Justice programme in particular is very successful in building the capacity for equality and fairness, enabling everyone to meet their full potential and live an ‘abundant life’ as inspired by the Elmhirsts.
“Through this type of initiative, together with our support of the arts and the environment, all of which are funded through the commercial activities on the estate, we are now globally recognised as a leader in social enterprise and sustainability.”
Other recent award nominations for Dartington Hall include Sustainable Tourism at the South Devon Tourism Awards and best Unusual Venue at the nationwide UK Events Awards.