John Taylor Hospice has been named a finalist in the UK Social Enterprise Awards.

The awards recognise leading social enterprises across the country in a number of different fields and John Taylor Hospice has been chosen as a finalist in the Employee Engagement category in recognition of its work to promote the wellbeing of its staff.

The hospice has committed to the West Midlands Combined Authority Thrive at Work programme which aims to promote wellbeing in the workplace.

This has seen John Taylor hold monthly health promotion events including Mental Health Awareness Month in which staff shared blogs around their own experiences and Cycle to Work Month in which the hospice has signed up to Cyclescheme which offers incentives to encourage cycling. Other campaigns have included sun awareness, no smoking, men’s health, fitness and Time to Talk.

The hospice has also signed the MIND Time to Change pledge, committing it to supporting staff’s mental health wellbeing, and signed up to UNISON’s End Violence at Work Charter.

And it has launched a series of wellbeing activities including a lunchtime walk, cycling groups and a book group.

The UK Social Enterprise Awards recognise the nation’s most pioneering social enterprises. John Taylor Hospice will be joining other finalists at the prestigious awards ceremony held at London’s iconic Guildhall on 4 December.

Hospice CEO Penny Venables said: “We are delighted the work undertaken for our staff wellbeing has been recognised by these national awards. So many of our staff have really embraced this initiative, having so many brilliant ideas and leading on the individual health campaigns.

“Our staff have always been totally dedicated to caring for other people but it’s also important that we remember that we need to care for each other and ourselves. Our Thrive at Work programme has helped to make all staff more aware of their own wellbeing and that of their colleagues.”

Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK Peter Holbrook said: “Every year the standards of applications for the UK Social Enterprise Awards gets higher and higher. At a time when public confidence in business is at a low and when we are facing crises both political and environmental – this year’s shortlist shows how business can be used to build a better world.”