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Marian made finalist in prestigious Enterprise Vision Awards

Written by on 24/08/2021

A Cumbrian charity worker who helped secure vital funding to support unpaid carers throughout the pandemic lockdowns has been named a finalist in the prestigious Enterprise Vision Awards.

Marian Graveson, from Kendal, is the business development manager at the Kendal-based charity Carer Support South Lakes.

She is a finalist in the EVAS Charity category after being nominated for her unstinting efforts to raise funds to help improve the lives of unpaid carers across South Cumbria.

The EVAS celebrate the outstanding successes and achievements of the North West’s most talented female entrepreneurs.

Outside London, they are the largest business awards dedicated solely to women.

“It was a fantastic surprise and I’m delighted to be a finalist in the EVAS,” says Marian. “It was an honour to be nominated in the first place and I hope the publicity surrounding the awards will raise the profile of Carer Support South Lakes.”

Marian originally joined Carer Support South Lakes on a temporary basis after a friend mentioned that the charity she was working for needed someone to look after the phones for two weeks. But when Marian saw the valuable work carried out by Carer Support – she became determined to play a more significant role.

She became Carer Support’s Office Manager and Community Fundraiser in February 2018 but from April 2020 took on the role of Business Development Manager – at a time when charities across the country were having their fund-raising efforts badly affected by the pandemic.

“Community fund raising is vital when it comes to making a difference in the lives of unpaid carers,” explains Marian. “It has been exceptionally difficult during the three lockdowns we have faced since the start of the pandemic. We have only been able to continue supporting unpaid carers because of the brilliant teamwork of all those involved with Carer Support.

“I see the EVAS nomination as a recognition of all the hard work put in by every member of the team here – including the many volunteers without whom we could not operate. I’m thrilled and delighted by that recognition.”

Carer Support South Lakes is based in Kendal and was formerly known as South Lakeland Carers. It estimates there are more than 12,000 unpaid carers in the South Lakes area alone. They can be any age – from a youngster helping look after a sibling, to an elderly husband or wife looking after a partner. The charity currently supports over 1,000 carers, of all ages, every year.

The Enterprise Vision Awards are marking ten years of celebrating the outstanding successes and achievements of the North West’s most talented female entrepreneurs. The awards distinguish those women who are leading the way in their industries or are building businesses that are not only judged on turnover, but creativity, ethics, passion and commitment.

The EVAS are open to all women in business in the North West including business owners, employees, CEOs and homeworkers, young entrepreneurs and silverpreneurs. This year’s award ceremony takes place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on Friday, September 24.