A quick summary

In conjunction with the BPIF, Webmart has held their first COVID-secure awards ceremony for the annual £1,000 Kathy Woodward Award for Learning.

After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award was presented to the winner, Matt Thorton, by Webmart’s Managing Director, Richard Boon, via online events platform Hopin. The £1,000 award, sponsored by Webmart, is for supporting individuals working in the print, packaging, and graphic design industries looking to further their professional development.

Initially, the award event was to take place in early July, held at the All-Party Print Group Reception at the House of Commons, but had to be postponed. Although it ultimately went ahead remotely, it proved an effective platform for the event, as Boon tells: “Whilst not surrounded by the beautiful setting of the House of Commons terrace on a nice summers day, it was exciting to present on the Hopin platform, which really demonstrated the power of digital events technology. Everything went smoothly and it was a suitable alternative to being there in person with the rest of the industry.”

First presented in 2015, the award is in memory of BPIF’s much-loved CEO Kathy Woodward, who sadly passed in 2014. Webmart had a long history with Kathy, her drive to help individuals to learn and develop professionally is what Richard Boon and Simon Biltcliffe, Webmart’s CEO, continue to advocate through Webmart’s funding of the award, particularly as the industry continuously evolves. As Biltcliffe outlines: “Kathy was a visionary within the print industry who believed in the necessity of life-long learning, to build prosperous careers at all stages of life, to future-proof against rapid changes like that we are all experiencing now. Webmart is delighted to carry on this legacy by sponsoring this award since its inception, to help carry on her legacy of being the best you can be through on-going training.”

Congratulations once again to Matt, and Webmart is thrilled to be able to support him and others in their professional growth.