We were delighted to pick up the award for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the inaugural Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber Business Awards on Thursday 28 September.

The winners were announced at a gala dinner at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, with around 250 representatives in attendance from businesses of all sizes and industries.

Replacing the highly successful EnviroCom Awards, at which SSE was previously a proud winner, the Business Awards have been established by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber to celebrate the strength of the diverse business community in the area.

This Corporate Social Responsibility Award is designed to recognise businesses that display clear policies relating to responsible practice across the four areas of environment, community, people and suppliers.

SSE’s CSR activities include its employee-led volunteering programme, Be the Difference, which gives every employee the chance to take a day away from their usual schedule to volunteer for a cause close to their heart. The firm’s last financial year saw record-breaking participation in the scheme, with nearly 6,000 working hours donated to 49 different charities or community groups.

Commenting after collecting the award, Sarah Hoolahan, Sustainability Manager at SSE, said:

“We’re really proud to be recognised for our CSR activities by the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber.  At SSE, we believe in always doing the right thing, and we have a strong focus on making a positive difference in the communities in which we live and work. We believe that, as well as helping local charities and community groups, our commitment to sustainability and community benefit is hugely important to our team members, and adds to the pride we have in our business.

“I want to say a big thank you everyone at SSE who is involved with our CSR and Sustainability initiatives, and I’m looking forward to our business continuing to make a real difference in the local community in the years ahead.”