Royal recognition for Doddl

On the back of their King’s Award for Enterprise win, Catherine Dodd, doddl Founder, represented doddl at a reception held at Buckingham Palace, to celebrate the recipients. Not only this, but as one of the winners of the coveted Innovation category, Catherine was personally selected to meet King Charles III. Here Catherine reflects on her day at the Palace.

organisation.

I truly believe that at the heart of any successful organisation is a vibrant and supportive culture that prioritises its colleagues.

It’s only natural that when people feel supported, they become more motivated, proactive, and innovative which in return leads to increased efficiency, improved customer satisfaction, and a competitive advantage in the market. Ultimately, with an ambitious and engaged team you can achieve anything as a business so it’s certainly worth investing in your people.

Creating a culture of growth and development which supports colleagues’ professional advancement is invaluable. By having clear training and development plans, goals, objectives and opportunities for skill enhancement, an organisation can empower its colleagues to really connect with its brand and products which can help businesses to stay ahead of industry trends and develop the expertise needed to drive innovation and adapt to evolving challenges. Knowledge is power, so supporting your colleagues to be engaged and empowered is truly important.

Our colleagues are our internal brand ambassadors so it’s key that we foster an environment where individuals feel valued, rewarded, and recognised for their contributions to the success of the organisation.

We’re creating a unique attraction to Green Sheep Group by constantly developing and building on our offering, support and proposition so that we not only attract the right people to work here but we retain our team as well. We want our Sheepers to feel passionate about our brands and be proud to work here so that we can nurture our growth in the best way possible. We are especially passionate about supporting our parents in the same way our products do, and with this in mind, we recently revamped some of our core benefits to ensure we offer important things like enhanced maternity & paternity schemes and meet the cost of antenatal NCT classes & paediatric first aid training.

I believe by investing in your people in the right way, you can create a positive and meaningful culture which will result in an engaged, motivated and collaborative team which ultimately will play a key role in the success of an organisation.

In a world where consumers are becoming more conscious about the products in which they buy, it’s surely important to know that the people and team behind the products are as just as passionate about them as are they are?

www.greensheepgroup.com

“It was a memorable day. My business partner Laura and I arrived appropriately attired at the gates of Buckingham Palace, but sadly this is where we parted company as only 1 person was permitted to attend on behalf of doddl. Strolling through the front gates was a surreal experience having visited many times in the past and stared through those iconic black gates pondering what lay behind. I was escorted into the private courtyard through the main entrance and from there, we weaved our way along corridors and stairs until we reached the state rooms overlooking the gardens, in good time for the start of the reception at 6pm. Champagne and canapes flowed. As I looked out over the gardens it reminded me of the fantastic ‘hip hip hooray’ salute that boomed from my tv during the coverage of the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. There was such a mix of awardees at the reception; it was fascinating hearing their stories and the paths they followed in building their businesses.

“It was such an honour to be chosen to speak to His Majesty, especially as this was the first year of the King’s Award (having previously been the Queens Award), and in a year that the Royal Family, particularly the Princess of Wales, has committed so passionately to a cause that is close to our hearts – the importance of ‘Early Years’. King Charles and I discussed Innovation and Sustainability, values that sit at the heart of doddl. I was also delighted to have a chance to speak to the Duchess of Edinburgh, and learn that her hands on commitment to sustainability started years ago, mending all her children’s broken toys to avoid waste. His Majesty and other members of the Royal Family departed at about 7.30pm, and the reception drew to a close shortly afterwards, after which time the awardees started to disband….no doubt heading for a celebratory drink to round off the occasion!

“It was a truly unique experience and an honour to meet some of the other very worthy winners of the King’s Award.”

Catherine dodd is founder of doddl, a company that creates innovative feeding tools for children. Catherine created the award winning children’s cutlery from her experiences of raising her 3 children (born within 16 months of eachother) and the challenges she faced at mealtimes. They have recently launched their newest innovation, a world’s first, 2-in-1 bowl, already winning rave reviews and awards, including a gold award in the International Baby Innovation Awards 2023. For more information about doddl visit www.doddl.com and for partnership opportunities speak to Global Head of Sales Tim Dowds – Tim@doddl.com.

Halilit partners with Jellystone Designs

Distributor of high-quality children’s products, Halilit is absolutely thrilled to announce their exciting partnership with Jellystone Designs, the renowned brand specializing in safe and stylish silicone toys for children.

This collaboration marks an extraordinary milestone in Halilit’s commitment to providing innovative and engaging products that promote early childhood development and sensory exploration.

Jellystone Designs has earned a stellar reputation for their unwavering dedication to producing toxic-free, BPA-free, and phthalate-free silicone toys that are absolutely safe for children of all ages.

“We are absolutely overjoyed to welcome Jellystone Designs to the Halilit family,” exclaimed Amy Wildman, Sales & Marketing Director at Halilit. “Their unwavering commitment to safety, design, and functionality perfectly aligns with our mission of providing exceptional products for children. We couldn’t be prouder to represent Jellystone Designs and expand our portfolio, offering even more choices for retailers, parents and caregivers who seek the very best toys for their children’s development.” www.halilit.co.uk