At last year’s Awards for Excellence the Cabinet Office won the award for Public Sector Achievement for the 2018:Year of our Island initiative.
Anna Goldsmith, who stepped on stage to collect the award, said: ’This was recognition for the cross-departmental team working that took place to deliver the programme of work.’
She went on: ’2020 has been a challenging year for us all, one that has seen people from across the public service pull together and adapt quickly to be able to provide a strong and versatile response to Covid-19. People were asked to work harder than ever before, beyond their hours and beyond their roles.
’Many people were redeployed from their normal jobs to deal with the challenges that Covid brought, and together the public service worked tirelessly for our island.
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’But 2020 hasn’t only been about how the public service responded, it has also been about what our community has done. Our ethos during 2018: Year of Our Island, was about sharing the positive aspects of living and working on the island and about encouraging pride within our communities.
’Never was this more important than during spring and summer this year where we saw a huge uptake in people wanting to help and volunteer to support those more vulnerable within our communities. Local authorities, charities and community groups provided a wealth of support to our island that was truly amazing.
’This year has also seen people doing more and exploring more across our island. While our border movements have been restricted, people have stayed at home and "staycationed" more than ever before, discovering glens, beaches and footpaths never encountered before and we have loved all that our island has had to offer during very difficult times.’
And she added: ’I would encourage other public sector teams to enter the awards, to bring recognition and acknowledgement to the outstanding work that continues across Isle of Man Government on a daily basis.’
l As well as Public Sector Achievement, this year’s Awards for Excellence offer a wide range of award categories including Doing the Impossible During the Pandemic, Our Local Heroes, Protecting our Environment and Caring for the Island’s Wellbeing.
You will find full information and download entry forms at www.excellence-awards.im. Entries close on January 15 with the awards taking place on March 19.