Nell Clare, Customer Services Assistant at Red Funnel, has been named ‘Employee of the Year’ at the Maritime UK Solent Awards 2022.
Nell was awarded the prestigious prize on Friday evening in Southampton in recognition of her outstanding and compassionate support in assisting medically vulnerable passengers with their ferry travel arrangements to and from the Isle of Wight.
First regional maritime awards event of its kind
The first regional maritime awards event of its kind, the Maritime UK Solent Award has been established to celebrate the Solent region’s outstanding maritime sector.
The ‘Employee of the Year’ category sought to recognise an employee working within the maritime sector, and whose contribution has made a real and positive impact on the business, charity or organisation with whom they work.
New procedures following pandemic
Following the impact of the pandemic, it became necessary for Red Funnel to find a way to support medically vulnerable passengers and those in extenuating circumstances to remain in their vehicles during their crossing.
To enable this, Red Funnel worked together with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to agree a special set of exemptions and a new procedure. Nell was, and continues to be, fundamental in supporting customers and facilitating this process which requires special attention.
Supporting ear for ‘remain in vehicle’ requests
During the initial stages of the pandemic customers were particularly anxious about travelling. Nell has been the supporting ear for over 2,000 ‘remain in vehicle’ requests.
She has supported everyone from passengers attending cancer treatment, to those travelling for major surgery, through to those fleeing a domestic violence situation.
Collins: A well-deserved accolade for Nell
Fran Collins, Chief Executive of Red Funnel, said,
“We are incredibly proud that Nell has been recognised as ‘Employee of the Year’ at the Maritime UK Solent Awards. Nell always goes above and beyond to serve all our passengers with exceptional customer service.
“Our people are at the heart of our business. This prize is a well-deserved accolade for Nell and champions our ethos at Red Funnel. Nell’s win is a reflection of our wider team and our devotion to delivering our commitment to First-Class service, and we’re all incredibly proud of Nell.”
Clare: What I do is supported by a wider team of colleagues
Nell Clare, Customer Services Assistant at Red Funnel, said,
“This is really such an honour, and I am very proud to accept the ‘Employee of the Year’ Maritime UK Solent Award on behalf of Red Funnel. What I do is supported by a wider team of colleagues, so I really want to recognise them too.
“A lot of the customers I support are going through difficult times. If I can make their travel a little easier or brighten their day with a chat to check in on how they’re doing, that means the world to me and makes my job incredibly fulfilling.”
News shared by Charlie on behalf of Red Funnel. Ed
