A CHARITY which treasures every single one of its workers ­— from the CEO to apprentices ­— has been recognised by a prestigious award.

Bolton-based Backup North West has achieved the Investors in People We Invest in People Gold accreditation.

Only 17 per cent of organisations achieve the gold standard.

Maura Jackson, CEO, said: “This is the third time we have achieved gold so we are super pleased because there are challenges in a charity as resources are so limited and restricted. This is a fitting tribute to Backup colleagues that they are gold, because they certainly are treasured.”

Gold accreditation means that everyone in organisations – from CEO to apprentice takes ownership for achieving its aims.

Backup North West is a charity established in 1992 dedicated to tackling youth homelessness. It has more than 60 colleagues in the team delivering not just front line services to young people but also a range of business staff, administrators, fundraisers and social enterprise coordinator.

The charity ensures all are recognised and rewarded and are a valued member of the team, as well benefitting from training and development.

Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Backup North West. Gold accreditation on We invest in people is a fantastic effort for any organisation, and places Backup in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”