Innovation Award
Category criteria
- This category is open to individuals, teams or businesses making a big impact with an innovation.
- The innovation could be a new product, service or process or it could be an innovative use of an existing product, service or process.
- The judges will be keen to find out about the intellectual processes which gave rise to the design and development of the innovation.
- The judges will also want to know how innovation is handled within the culture of the company and will welcome nominations from businesses that have innovation at the core of their ethos.
Wavemaker
Innovation Award entrant
Wavemaker is innovating to tackle digital poverty right in the heart of the Stoke-on-Trent communities where it is most needed.
It places digital resources directly into communities, ensuring learning is accessible where people already feel comfortable. By combining face-to-face support with an online learning platform, it helps community spaces deliver digital skills training independently, creating long-term impact.
Over the past 12 months Wavemaker has distributed more than £100,000 of digital equipment to local communities, to hubs and organisations as well as to individuals who lack access to computer equipment at home.
It was launched in June 2015 by co-founders and directors Alex Rowley, who was born and bred in Stoke-on-Trent, and University of Staffordshire alumni Ben McManus.
Alex said: “By taking a fresh, innovative approach to digital inclusion we are not just helping people get online, we are transforming lives, strengthening communities and ensuring no one is left behind in the digital world.”
Wavemaker is revolutionising the delivery of digital skills training with its DigitAll learning platform and Wavemaker Connect hubs.
By empowering community organisations with equipment, training and ongoing digital support it has created a sustainable model that fosters digital inclusion at grassroots level.
Wavemaker Connect empowers established community organisations and spaces to become a hub of digital inclusion. Instead of asking people to come to them, Wavemaker equips community organisations, libraries and community lounges with digital devices, training and access to its DigitAll platform, allowing them to deliver training independently.
The innovation lies in shifting digital training from a centralised model to a community-led one, ensuring digital skills support is sustainable and scalable.
Wavemaker has entered the Innovation Award and Business in the Community categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Iron Maidens Commercial Laundry
Innovation Award entrant
Iron Maidens Commercial Laundry Ltd aims to transform the commercial laundry industry with its strong focus on sustainability through innovation.
Operating in a sector traditionally associated with high energy and water consumption, the Newcastle-under-Lyme company has introduced cutting-edge technologies and in-house engineered solutions to reduce waste, conserve resources and support the hospitality industry’s journey towards net zero.
Iron Maidens Commercial Laundry has been serving the hospitality industry across Staffordshire, Cheshire and beyond for more than a decade. It works with hotels, restaurants and venues to provide a an eco-conscious linen solution.
What sets Iron Maidens apart is its close-knit team, where employees are more like family than colleagues. Many team members have been with the company for years, fostering a culture of trust, expertise and shared commitment to delivering exceptional service.
This strong team ethos has enabled Iron Maidens to continuously innovate, as employees are empowered to bring fresh ideas to the table and play an active role in shaping the company’s future.
Through a combination of energy-efficient equipment, bespoke chemical dosing systems and waste-reducing initiatives, the company is redefining industry standards and pioneering innovation in commercial laundry.
Innovations include investing in energy-efficient technology and the development of a bespoke, in-house-designed dosing system.
The company has moved to reusable and recyclable packaging with a zero-waste approach including eliminating the need for single-use plastic. The office has become paperless and is moving towards electric delivery vans to minimise its carbon footprint.
Iron Maidens has entered the Innovation Award and Team of the Year categories of University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
We Talk Care
Innovation Award entrant
We Talk Care is transforming the way caregivers receive support in the UK. The digital platform has created a strong and inclusive online community for both paid and unpaid carers, offering a space to connect, share experiences, support each other and access valuable resources.
Recognising the challenges caregivers face, from emotional strain to financial hardship, Burslem-based We Talk Care is dedicated to using technology to bridge the huge gaps in caregiver support.
Founder Joe Ndilla is a former NHS employee and ex-carer who understands the stresses and strains of caregiving.
With more than 10 years in the healthcare sector he recognised an urgent need - a safe, dedicated space where caregivers could share their experiences, seek advice and feel less alone.
Joe’s passion for supporting caregivers is also deeply personal as his wife, Sam Ndilla, is a professional carer who provides home care to elderly clients in Staffordshire.
Every day Sam visits 10 to 12 clients, assisting with personal care, mobility and companionship. Seeing first-hand the challenges carers like Sam face such as long hours, emotional strain and a lack of resources, Joe knew he had to create something that could provide real, lasting support and provide a voice for carers.
His personal experiences, coupled with research highlighting the isolation that many caregivers face, drove him to launch We Talk Care in December 2023. The platform now has more than 1,700 subscribers with around 1,500 page views per day demonstrating the growing demand for caregiver support.
For Joe, We Talk Care is more than just a digital platform—it’s a lifeline for those who spend their days caring for others but often have no one to care for them. His vision extends beyond paid carers to family members, young carers and those juggling work with caregiving responsibilities, ensuring that no caregiver feels isolated.
Joe, who has a University of Staffordshire degree in Applied IT, developed his social network project after joining the first cohort of the Peter Coates MSc in Entrepreneurship.
He has entered We Talk Care into the Innovation Award category of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards.
Time4Sport
Innovation Award entrant
A business that Wayne Glover founded while studying at University of Staffordshire now works with around 7,500 children per week and employs 26 members of staff.
The business, Time4Sport, also has a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University which involves Wayne and his team working with two academics to create an app and platform to support children who are above their ideal weight.
Time4Sport, which has its headquarters at Michelin Sports Centre, works with thousands of children and families across Staffordshire and Cheshire every week.
Time4Sport was established in 2007 and has been built on a desire to improve the lives of children and families through PE and sport, with a passion for promoting the benefits of healthy living. It is a physical education, physical activity, sport, health and wellbeing service provider and delivers activities in schools and directly to families. It offers school services, extra-curricular clubs, Time4Swimming, holiday camps and Time4Wellbeing.
The business began when founder and Managing Director Wayne was studying for a degree in Sports Development and Coaching.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do when I graduated so in the summer between my second and third year I went to the US and did some coaching,” he said.
“Then in my final year, before I graduated in 2005, I did coaching at schools. I saw a teacher trying to deliver what I had delivered and realised that primary schools weren’t being supported to deliver high quality PE sessions.”
Wayne was able to join an enterprise fellowship scheme through the University after pitching his business idea. He received support for the first two years, has business space at the University for two years and received start-up funding.
“I received £6,000 funding to get the business up and running. Halfway through the programme there was a competition for an additional £6,000 of funding, which Time4Sport won. It made all the difference and Time4Sport is still going all these years later.”
Wayne is passionate about empowering children to build a fitter, healthier and happier future, believing that positive habits formed in childhood lay the foundation for a lifetime of wellbeing.
He has a team of 26 staff and worked with the University’s Unitemps team to recruit an additional 50 temporary staff last summer to support with the Holiday Activities and Food provision for children in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire who are in receipt of income-related free school meals.
Wayne has an ongoing relationship with academics in the University’s sports department and helps to support current students.
“I still have quite a few links with the University of Staffordshire and even work in a number of Staffordshire University Academy Trust schools,” he added.
Wayne has entered the Alumni Business Person of the Year category of the University of Staffordshire Business Awards and Time4Sport has entered the Innovation and Business in the Community categories.