Pictured above: Mayor of Sandwell - Cllr Councillor
Geoff Lewis, Simon Pearson & Russell Venvil - Sirus, Her
Majesty's Lord Lieutenant Mr Paul Sabapathy, CBE, Richard Clift,
Grants Officer - AWM and in front is Sirus Automotive's first ever
customer from December 2004, Mack Hadley from Cradley
Heath
Sirus Automotive, one of the UK's market leaders in wheelchair
accessible vehicles has been awarded the internationally recognised
Queen's Award for Enterprise - in the category of Innovation.
The Queen's Award for Enterprise is one of the UK's most
prestigious and highly esteemed business awards, and recognises the
company as an outstanding example of innovation, business
performance and commercial success.
On Wednesday 22nd July, Sirus held an open day at their premises
in Wednesbury to share their success with their customers and
suppliers and to thank everyone who has contributed to their
success since they began in 2004.
The Queens Award was presented to Sirus by Her Majesty's Lord
Lieutenant Mr Paul Sabapathy, CBE.
Pictured above: Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant Mr Paul
Sabapathy, CBE, Mayor of Sandwell - Cllr Councillor Geoff Lewis,
Simon Pearson - Sirus, Richard Clift, Grants Officer - AWM, Russell
Venvil - Sirus and about to get in the van Sirus Automotive's first
ever customer from December 2004, Mack Hadley from Cradley
Heath
Sirus were also joined by Richard Clift, Grants Officer from
regional development agency Advantage West Midlands, which provided
the company with a £249,000 grant to help them move to the
larger premises and to invest in new equipment to increase
production and expand.
Simon Pearson, co-founder and managing director of Sirus, said:
"This award recognises our commitment to product innovation in the
mobility market. It shows that a young company such as Sirus can
succeed in today's difficult times through the sheer hard work and
dedication of our team.
"We have heavily invested both time and money into new product
development over the last five years, which has allowed us to push
the boundaries of the mobility market.
"In addition to the support and investment we received from
Advantage West Midlands, this has helped us achieve exceptional
growth within our business and our new premises have allowed us to
increase production and enter new markets.
"We offer hugely advanced, high quality, yet affordable
solutions for wheelchair users, improving the quality of life for
many and offering freedom and independence".
Dr Richard Hutchins, Deputy Chief Executive at Advantage West
Midlands, added: "This innovative company is to be congratulated
for their much deserved win. The award reflects the firm's success
in harnessing its automotive and design expertise, while also
identifying and capitalising on opportunities in the market
place.
"This success is a great example of how Advantage West Midlands
is supporting the projects that deliver the best returns on
investment - in terms of business growth and job creation for the
region.
"Innovative projects like this are changing lives and boosting
the economy across our region. Innovation is one of the main
challenges faced by the West Midlands, and encouraging companies of
all sizes to develop new products and ideas is a key
priority.
"This project supports the work of the regional transport and
medical technologies cluster and our strong commitment to promoting
the diversity and equality of the region."
The Mayor of Sandwell presented Mrs Meryl Elwell from Walsall
the keys to her brand new Sirus vehicle, the converted Volkswagen
Caddy Maxi Life offering five seats plus wheelchair space. Meryl
was delighted with her new vehicle, even more so as she used to
teach a number of the staff at Sirus.
The event also saw the beginning of a new partnership between
Sirus and West Bromwich Albion's Powered Wheelchair Football team,
who were also in attendance. Sirus are to become the team's
official sponsor this coming season.