Home-Start Wessex is delighted to have won the Best Place to Work Award at the Bridport Business Awards 2026. The winners were crowned at a special awards ceremony attended by over 60 local business representatives.
Organised by Marketing West, the Bridport Business Awards recognise and reward local businesses that have significantly contributed to the local economy. The Best Place to Work Award recognises organisations that have created an outstanding workplace based on a set of values that have led to a committed, effective, and motivated workforce.
Home-Start Wessex offers friendship, practical support, and emotional advice to parents in Dorset with at least one child under five who are in crisis, providing specialist groups and one-to-one home visits. Supported families are struggling for a variety of reasons, including poor mental health, postnatal depression, disability, domestic abuse, bereavement, isolation, financial hardship and multiple births. Over the last year, the charity has transformed 1,716 lives, helping a record 526 families.
Judges commended Home-Start Wessex for the results from its recent internal survey, which demonstrated that staff and volunteers were 100% behind the organisation and its work to help local families in need. Staff and volunteers described Home-Start Wessex as “A truly amazing place to work” and commented “I love going to work, it is just the best place I’ve ever worked” and “I am very proud to be part of such an amazing organisation… I look forward to coming to work every day.”
Belinda Hewett, Head of Operations at Home-Start Wessex, said, “When Home-Start West Dorset became a victim of the funding crisis in October 2023, Home-Start Wessex immediately extended its reach to help families in Bridport, Dorchester, Portland, Weymouth, and as far as Lyme Regis.
In 2024, we opened our Bridport Haven group, welcoming families from Bridport to drop in at the Bridport Family Hub every Tuesday to access free support. We also provide 1-to-1 support for families in and around Bridport.
We are incredibly proud to win this Best Place to Work Award, and I would like to dedicate it to our amazing volunteers who work so hard to support families in Bridport and beyond. We could not deliver our service without them.”
The charity is actively recruiting kind, compassionate volunteers to offer emotional and practical support to parents with young children in Bridport and across Dorset. If you could spare a few hours a week to help local families through challenging times and make a difference in your community, please contact office@homestartwessex.org.uk. No experience is needed – just a big heart and a listening ear, as full training and ongoing support are provided.