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Supporting the communities around us is a key part of how we deliver social value, and volunteering plays an important role in that. Colleagues Zen Anwar, Hannah Craig, Rebecca Herman, Leah Style and Freya Thomsson-Marshall (ANutr) recently spent time at Refettorio Felix, supporting front-of-house activity, serving meals and drinks, helping with set-up, and creating a welcoming environment for guests. Refettorio Felix is a drop-in centre and community kitchen serving vulnerable people in Earl’s Court and beyond. With an open-door policy, it welcomes anyone facing challenges such as homelessness, loneliness, substance misuse and mental health difficulties. Many guests come for lunch and stay for the warmth, care and sense of community. Since launching Lifetime of Enrichment, colleagues across Elior and Lexington Catering have supported 30 sessions at the centre, continuing to make a meaningful contribution through collective action.
Supporting colleague development and creating opportunities is a key focus for us, and our award-winning Chef School is a strong example of this in action. The programme recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, giving aspiring chefs the skills and confidence needed to take the next step in their careers. Delivered by our Academy and Chef Trainers, it covers a wide range of culinary techniques, from knife skills and stock preparation to fish filleting, roasting, pastry and desserts, alongside the fundamentals of working safely and effectively in a professional kitchen. Designed to be accessible and practical, Chef School helps colleagues build strong foundations and progress with confidence.
We’re pleased to share that (Cat Radia) Catherine R. and Paul Dancer have been named Role Models for Inclusion in the 2026 Hospitality, Travel, Leisure and Retail Index, produced by WiHTL & Diversity in Retail in partnership with The MBS Group. Each individual in the Index is recognised for pushing boundaries, challenging norms and driving greater inclusion across the industry. Cat and Paul join a community of Role Models helping shape the future of hospitality, travel, leisure and retail. Congratulations to Cat and Paul, a fantastic achievement.
Mental health awareness is something we all need to prioritise, every single day and at Elior we’re committed to supporting our colleagues all year round. Whether it’s through our trained network of Mental Health First Aiders, or via our colleague networks, we’re creating safe spaces for people to talk, be heard and feel supported. This Mental Health Awareness Week, we also want to highlight one of our own. Marius Coste has now reached week 49 of his #Milesofsmiles campaign, taking on weekly challenges dressed in costume to raise awareness and funds for mental health and cancer support, while bringing people together and encouraging open conversations.
Elior UK has exceeded its Lifetime of Enrichment social value target by 33%, delivering 38,364 days of social value across the business since the campaign launched in 2023. Through volunteering and everyday social value activities, colleagues across Elior UK have helped raise more than £125,000 for charity, while also delivering 189 healthy eating sessions in schools nationwide and planting 5,143 trees with JUST ONE Tree. Building on this momentum, we’re now launching the next phase of Lifetime of Enrichment, with a new ambition to deliver an additional 57,670 days of social value by 2030, equivalent to two average lifetimes! For the full press release visit: https://ow.ly/EuAH50YVvhV
Spending time in Kenya meeting investees supported through Water Unite was a really powerful experience for our team. Since 2019, we’ve been working with Water Unite by donating proceeds from the sale of bottled and canned water across our sites, helping to back locally led enterprises tackling some of the biggest challenges facing communities in the region. Through this support, we’ve now raised close to £200,000, supporting these and other investees to drive long‑term, sustainable change. During the trip, we visited Mr. Green Trading Africa Kenya Ltd., Sanivation and Jibu Inc., meeting the people behind the projects and seeing first‑hand how different approaches, from waste management and sanitation to access to safe drinking water, can have a transformational impact on health, livelihoods and opportunity. For the team, the visit brought to life the real‑world impact of what might, at first glance, seem like a simple everyday choice, and reinforced the value of supporting practical, locally driven solutions that put communities at the centre. Huge thanks to Water Unite and the enterprises we met for sharing their work so openly. We see just how important partnerships like this are, and we look forward to seeing how this collaboration can continue to grow and create even greater impact in the years ahead.
Eid is the sound of chairs pulling closer and the warmth of hands passing dishes. After a long month of fasting, the table is heavy and the hearts are full. The joy lies in the shared feast and the relief of that first, celebrated bite.
Lifetime of Enrichment. We are thrilled to share that our flagship social value campaign, Lifetime of Enrichment, has not only reached but exceeded our initial target! From January 2023 to December 2025, our amazing colleagues have contributed 38,364 days of social value, surpassing our original goal of 28,835 days (the average number of days in a lifetime). There are so many wonderful examples of dedication to community, charity, and other initiatives that have made this achievement possible so a huge thank you to everyone for making such a remarkable difference. Looking ahead, we’re setting our sights even higher. We’re introducing our Second Generation of Lifetime of Enrichment with an ambition is to deliver an additional 57,670 days of social value by 2030. We can’t wait to continue celebrating the incredible impact happening across Elior and all our subsidiary brands.
Huge congratulations to Lexington Catering Chef Steven Snowdon, who was named Development Chef of the Year at yesterday’s Contract Catering Magazine Awards. It’s fantastic and well‑deserved recognition for Steven’s outstanding contribution, and the commitment and passion he brings to his role every day. We would also like to say congratulations again to of all our Elior, Caterplus and Lexington Catering finalists. Being shortlisted is an amazing achievement, and we are incredibly proud of you all. Thanks also to Contract Catering Magazine for putting on another fantastic event.
Tomorrow evening, we celebrate the very best in our industry at the Contract Catering Magazine, and we couldn’t be prouder of our teams. We are shortlisted in six categories that celebrate the talent across our business. We are immensely proud of every individual and team who has contributed to these achievements. Our shortlisted categories: • Contract Caterer of the Year – (Elior at Work) • Development Chef of the Year – (Lexington Catering – Chef Steven Snowdon) • Healthcare Catering Award – (Caterplus – Gill Heath) • Operations Director of the Year – (Lexington Catering – Charlie Hayward) • People Development Award – (Elior – Lauren Stirling) • Sports, Leisure and Event Catering – (Elior – Christopher Dennis) Best of luck to all our finalists and to every organisation and individual shortlisted across the industry. We’re looking forward to celebrating together tomorrow!
