Local Entrepeneur Crowned National Winner Of O2 Everyday Heroes Awards 2021 By O2 And Kelly Hoppen

• This year’s Everyday Heroes awards has seen two national winners take the crown, including Emma Rigby from Love Your Doorstep who set up a delivery service to help members of the community access food and medication during lockdown 
• Alongside a public vote, Kelly Hoppen and a panel of experts chose Emma as this year’s joint national winner
• O2 rewarded Emma with £5,000 cash prize to help support her business.

Wednesday 6th October 2021 – O2, in partnership with internationally renowned interior designer and entrepreneur, Kelly Hoppen CBE, has crowned Love Your Doorstep the joint national winner of its Everyday Heroes competition, rewarding founder Emma Rigby for her contribution to the local community during lockdown.

The initiative, which sought to help businesses during this difficult time, saw hundreds of members of the public nominate deserving small businesses and enterprises who’d gone the extra mile.

Emma, alongside fellow national winner Yasin El Ashrafi from HQ CAN who supports young musicians and creatives in the Midlands, receives£5,000 cash. Emma came out on top after a panel of judges and the public read about her tenacity and the wonderful work she has done to help support the Enfield community.

Emma used her extensive local network of volunteers, neighbours, charities and businesses built over the last 10 years to manage and organise an immense operation which saw them deliver thousands of food packages & meals, transported medications and recruited over 600 volunteers in the region to ensure everyone in the Enfield Borough had access to support they needed.

Kelly Hoppen CBE, interior design entrepreneur and former Dragon said: “It’s been a real joy hearing the stories of these amazing business leaders who are so committed to supporting the community around them. The fact there are two joint winners shows just how difficult judging the superb finalists’ entries was! Emma couldn’t be more worthy of the honour.

“Her tenacity, drive and passion is clear. She was determined in her mission to keep the community supplied with food and medication, and what was especially great to hear was the sheer volume of volunteers who came forward at such speed.”

Emma notes that the money will really help them continue to support the local businesses and individuals who get so much out of the service: “It’s been a real team effort to keep things going over the past 18 months and it’s reaffirmed the sense of community and connection we’ve all needed to lean on at some point. I’m delighted to have received this recognition.”

Jo Bertram, Managing Director, Business & Wholesale at Virgin Media O2 and judge said:“Hearing from all of the small businesses and learning about the sheer level of support and joy they brought their communities over the last year has been truly inspiring.

“Small business leaders really are the backbone of local communities around the country so to hear of their determination and motivation to keep serving their local customers is heart-warming. Emma and Yasin are examples of individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, utilising technology in order to ensure they’re offering the best level of support. They show how a sense of community really has been a lifeline for many of us.

“O2 has always helped provide small businesses with the technology and digital expertise to help them flex and adapt, improve connectivity and strengthen security, and this is more important than ever as we continue to adjust to life through the continued pandemic. We’re incredibly excited to crown the overall winners and give them a helping hand to continue doing their great work.”

The tools available through O2 Business can help firms continue to adapt and grow their business as the UK continues to head out of lockdown. As flexibility continues to be more important than ever, customers can choose the ultimate flexible package with tariffs that give them the control and confidence to suit their evolving company needs.

The market-leading suite of flexible solutions includes automatic data rollover and flexible tariffs so customers can flex their data allowance up and down each billing cycle. As well as flexible add-on business apps such as Microsoft Office 365 so customers can stay productive no matter where they need to work, plus a range of business contract lengths, from a rolling 30-day plan, through to three years.

O2 Business packages also offer greater network security, with experts on hand to help with any technical issues.

To find out more about the national winners’ stories, visit https://www.o2.co.uk/business/everyday-heroes

To learn more about O2 Business, visit ttps://www.o2.co.uk/business/why-o2/flex-your-business

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