Specialist care provider chosen as Solihull Business of the Year

Special needs day care centre, Satori House, were crowned winners at the Solihull Chamber of Commerce 's annual dinner and awards last night for their exceptional service to those with disabilities.

The specialist care providers were recognised in the awards held at the Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel and Country Club and received both the Outstanding Contribution to Community award, sponsored by Jask Creative, as well as the prestigious Solihull Business of the Year award, sponsored by Glide.

The event 's headline sponsors were Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Touchwood.

Nicola Pellegrini-Homer and Paula Litwinko opened Satori House in 2019 in pursuit of their dream to provide a safe and caring day centre that caters for the needs of adults with complex learning disabilities.

Initially providing their day service care to three young adults, five days a week with a staff of four, Satori House saw significant growth within the first 18 months and now has 15 service users and a staff of 19. Their growth came solely from word of mouth and the testimonials from families about the valuable service they provide to young adults who are not catered for elsewhere.

During the pandemic, Satori House 's staff made personal sacrifices and put their clients ahead of themselves, remaining open when all council-run services were closed to prevent families from going into crisis.

Helen Bates, chief financial officer at the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and chair of the judging panel, said: “The judges were unanimous in their decision to award Satori House Solihull Business of the Year - their achievements in the last year have been inspirational.

“Staff have put the needs of the young people they support ahead of their own and continued to provide a valuable service when others closed their doors. A small business which has its customers ' needs front and centre, we are pleased to make this award to Satori House. ”

Other winners included:

Outstanding in Customer Service

(Sponsored by runyourfleet)

Evac+Chair International

Outstanding in Charity/Third Sector

(Sponsored by Prime Accountants)

Gro-Organic

Outstanding in Hospitality & Retail

(Sponsored by BNP Paribas Personal Finance)

The Barn At Berryfields

Outstanding in Sales & Marketing

(Thursfields Solicitors)

Team Telemarketing

Outstanding in Technology & Innovation

(Sponsored by AirIT)

Jumar Technology

Outstanding in Training & Education

(Sponsored by Arden Multi Academy Trust)

Digital Innovators

Outstanding Young Talent

(Sponsored by Solihull College & University Centre)

Sabah Hussain - Correla

Pictured: The team at Satori House on awards night, pictured by Mike Baker