British Citizen Award 2021: Recognising our exceptional colleagues.
This year, 852 of our Lidl GB colleagues were recognised by the British Citizen Award for their contribution during the current pandemic. Each colleague received the coveted Certificate of Recognition, with 14 being singled out to receive a Medal of Honour for their exceptional contribution.
The awards were presented in the workplace to continue to comply with Government Guidance. Our CEO, Christian Härtnagel, had the following to say:
“I could not be prouder of the entire Lidl GB team, who have done a fantastic job keeping the nation fed and supporting local communities during these challenging times. Those that have been awarded a British Citizen Award certificate were nominated by their fellow peers in recognition of selfless acts ranging from shopping for the vulnerable, to raising money for charity. We are delighted to be able to celebrate a further 14 colleagues, who received special commendation from their line managers for truly going above and beyond. I would like to say a huge personal thank you to all of our colleagues for their continued dedication.”
Patron of The British Citizen Award, The Rt Hon. The Lord Dholakia commented: “The endeavours of these deserving individuals should not go unrecognised during these unprecedented times. Overnight many became essential and key workers, people relied on them being there to enable a form of normal life. Throughout, they have faced the fear of the unknown, overcome safety concerns, protected themselves, their families and customers, and all of this is to be commended. They are all amazing people who have given selflessly in the pursuit of helping communities. They all deserve this recognition”.
As we continue to live life under different guidelines the importance of those organisations who reach out to communities on a daily basis becomes ever more significant. Founder of The British Citizen Award, Mike Faulkner commented: “Thanks to this special group of people and others like them up and down the country, the lights stayed on, the nation stayed fed, the vulnerable were cared for and those that needed assistance received it. These exceptional times call for a monumental effort, and the organisation’s recognising their people in this way are making a monumental difference. The country needs stability and these individuals are giving it consistently. They deserve more than a moment in the spotlight, so we hope they take pride in this recognition, as we are proud of them”.
The British Citizen Award was established in 2015, to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly making a positive impact on society. It recognises true community heroes who may otherwise be overlooked. The invitation to organizations to recommend members of their workforce is in direct response to the need for people who have excelled at work during lockdown to receive recognition for the efforts they have made and are continuing to make.
Each Medal of Honour bears the words ‘For the Good of the Country’ which is why it is fitting for these exceptional individuals. The British Citizen Award is widely viewed as the nation’s way of recognising extraordinary, everyday people for exceptional endeavor and is truly representative of today’s multicultural Britain. A special thank you all of our colleagues who received these accolades, for going above and beyond for others over this exceptionally difficult period. #WeAreLidl.