7:29am Saturday 20th January 2007
By Justin Dunn
THE Wirral-based publishers of a women's magazine that has just celebrated donating its £50millionth to good causes, has won a national award in recognition of its charitable giving and high ethical standards.
Newhall Publications of Hoylake, the company behind best-selling women's monthly, Candis, scooped the award for 'social responsibility' in the JP Morgan Family Business Awards.
The JP Morgan Private Bank Family Business Awards are held in association with the London Business School and the Institute for Family Business. Now in their fourth year, the awards provide a platform to raise the profile of family businesses in the UK.
Candis is one of the UK's top ten best-selling women's magazines, unique because it sells via subscription only and donates a share of its sales income to health-related charities and community groups around the country.
It was founded in 1962 by Liverpool accountant Joseph Douglas. His grandsons, managing director Andrew Douglas and marketing director Bryan Douglas-Dala, now run the magazine.
Andrew's father died from cancer when Andrew was a few months old, prompting Joseph Douglas to launch the company and thereby support medical research.
Today, the recipients include top UK charities Marie Curie Cancer Care, the British Heart Foundation and baby charities BLISS and Tommy's.
Up to £8,000 a month also goes to community groups nominated by readers. Recent local recipients include the Wirral Society for the Blind and Partially Sighted in Birkenhead, Charles Thompson's Mission in Wallasey and the Little Neston-based Wirral and North Cheshire branch of a prostate cancer group.
Bryan said: "Our readers are very proud of our achievement of donating £50m to health-related charities in the UK. In 2006 alone, we're expecting to donate a total of £900,000 to charities and community groups.
"Winning this national award is a great recognition of our achievements in helping to improve people's quality of life. The award is very special because we have been nominated for it by our peers."
The awards ceremony, introduced this year by former Minister for Merseyside Lord Heseltine, were established to raise awareness of the significant role that family businesses play in entrepreneurship, employment and wealth creation in Britain.
"In our search for excellent family firms we have discovered that some of the UK's most dynamic, profitable and responsible companies are to be found in family hands," said Chris Hancock, senior banker at JP Morgan private bank.
"Newhall is a truly remarkable company: a third generation family-owned business which despite changing times, has maintained its focus on running commercial enterprises with the primary objective of making money to support healthcare charities.
"With its origins in football pools, it now focuses on the Candis Club, and the very successful magazine, Candis."
Family businesses account for one half to two thirds of all firms in the UK, half the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and employ half of the UK's private sector workforce.
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