Hull company granted royal award for helping people into work

East Yorkshire based convenience retailer and forecourt operator Sewell on the go has been honoured with one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for the second time. 

The company, which has 12 forecourts across Hull and East Yorkshire, has been awarded a King’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity as part of the wider Sewell Group for its work in supporting people from disadvantaged backgrounds into employment. It’s one of only four businesses in the region to receive the accolade this year and the first to have two in this category. 

The award, which recognises outstanding achievement by UK businesses, follows Sewell Group receiving a Queen’s Award in 2021, for their continued commitment and advocacy of social mobility within the business community. 

The award will be presented by the King’s representative, HM Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, Mr. Jim Dick, OBE. He said: 

“I am delighted to congratulate Sewell Group on winning the 2026 King’s Award for Enterprise in the Promoting Opportunities through Social Mobility category. To be recognised again, following their Queen’s Award in 2021 in the same category, is a remarkable testament to their sustained commitment to inclusion, skills and development. The Sewell Group continue to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives and set an inspiring example of how businesses can create lasting social and economic impact in our region.” 

The King’s Award recognises Sewell’s GATEway initiative, a programme that aims to help people from disadvantaged backgrounds into the world of work through graduate opportunities, apprenticeships, trainee schemes, work experience and advocacy. Since launching, the GATEway programme has supported over 300 individuals to access meaningful work placements within the company and of those, 69% from disadvantaged backgrounds have gone on to secure further education, employment or training. 

Sewell on the go has long standing partnerships with schools and colleges across the region and collaborates with charities including CatZero and Hull for Heroes to provide work placements for local people who would otherwise struggle to find employment. 

19 year old Zayla Hutchinson took part in a work placement with Sewell on the go as part of the company’s partnership with local charity CatZero. Her attitude and work ethic were recognised by the senior team who quickly offered her a Trainee Sales Assistant role. 

Reflecting on the opportunity, Zayla said: “I met someone from CatZero at the job centre who gave me the opportunity to join their programme which helped me get my GCSEs and built my confidence. From there I got the chance to do work experience at Sewell on the go and I got a lot of compliments from colleagues and customers. Then one day the manager asked if I’d like a full time job and I said yes straight away. They’re a great company to work for and I’ve met so many nice people.” 

 

Patrick Sewell, Managing Director of Sewell on the go, said: 

“After the pandemic, Hull was ranked the fourth most deprived city in the UK, with high levels of unemployment and skills gaps in key industries and we wanted to do something to help. Our approach to business has always been to enrich local communities and create opportunities for people, so we came up with the GATEway programme to help focus our efforts. 

“Partnering with organisations such as CatZero, we’ve been able to reach people that need the most support and provide meaningful opportunities for them that have led to further employment. Our strategy is all about creating better life chances for people and social mobility within our communities. We’re a big believer that skills can be taught, we recruit based on attitude and cultural fit.” 

Over the last few years, the group has also supported military veterans, pupils from St Anne’s School and other young people with special educational needs & disabilities (SEND), developing a toolkit for other employers to help encourage them to take on more work experience placements. 

Sewell Group’s ‘grow your own’ mentality has seen many people come up through the ranks of the business from trainee to senior roles, with 23 out of 24 of our senior team and managers starting on the shop floor. 

Now in its 60th year, the King’s Awards for Enterprise remain the UK’s most prestigious business accolades. Successful organisations may use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years, signalling excellence to customers, partners, and global markets.