Walfinch Greater Manchester South, a homecare company based in Wilmslow, is celebrating after receiving a Cheshire and Merseyside Social Value Award, in recognition of its efforts in giving back to the communities it serves.
 
The Social Value Business works in partnership with the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System (ICS)  to administer the Cheshire and Merseyside Social Value Award. It aims to help organisations deliver social value and achieve their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as well as setting a standard for social value and showcasing good practice in this area. It also enables organisations to become ‘Anchor Organisations’ – organisations rooted in their local communities that have the potential to bring measurable benefits to local people.
 
The team at Walfinch Greater Manchester South has been coordinating community coffee mornings, inviting not only the people they care for, but involving residents from local retirement homes to provide a supportive and social environment for people to meet, reducing social isolation and loneliness.
 
Preeti Mehan, managing director of Walfinch Greater Manchester South explains: “We don't want to simply operate in a community; we want to take an active part of the community. By achieving this award, we are able to demonstrate our commitment to delivering excellence to the individuals we care for, as well as our commitment to developing long lasting professional partnerships and an ability to positively impact the communities in which we work.
 
“Loneliness is a big issue; we see so many people living on their own and we therefore began organising coffee mornings to give people the opportunity to meet new faces from across their local area, while enjoying some social interaction.  It’s lovely to observe people chatting over a drink and cake, bringing people together to really feel a part of the local community.”
 
Councillor Sam Corcoran, leader of Cheshire East Council, said: “Congratulations to Walfinch Greater Manchester South on achieving this award. It’s great to see local organisations being recognised for having an impact in their local communities by going beyond their basic purpose.
“We are committed to creating social value across the borough and as a council, we have the potential to have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of local communities across Cheshire East. We will continue to support local organisations to recognise the importance of embedding social value as core practice and securing the wider benefits that it can bring.”

Amrit Dhaliwal, CEO, Walfinch commented:  “This award highlights the importance of community engagement and the positive impact it can have on people’s everyday lives.  It’s at the heart of what we stand for at Walfinch, and therefore we are delighted and proud of Preeti and her team of dedicated carers to have been recognised in this way.”
 
Social value is about considering the wider economic, social, and environmental effects of organisational activities. Organisations which make a conscious effort to increase the positive effects and reduce the negative effects of their activities can be seen as adding social value by contributing to the long-term wellbeing and resilience of individuals, communities, and society in general.
 
The Cheshire and Merseyside Social Value Award is centred on four theme areas:

• The good that we can achieve within our communities, related to environmental, economic, and social factors
• Building capabilities, strengths and assets and enabling people to live a ‘valued and dignified life’
• An enabler for the growth of ‘Social Innovation’ and helps to reduce avoidable inequalities – linked to the Marmot Principles
• A requirement of the public sector as ‘Anchor Organisations’ to use their purchasing power to build capabilities, strengths and assets within our communities, ensuring that Cheshire and Merseyside is a great ‘Place’ to live and work