UK Docks Marine Services has won top national awards at the annual Family Business United awards night in London.
The Wilson family mark a night of national success for UK Docks at the Family Business United awards night in London.
The national event saw businesses from all over the United Kingdom competing for the honour of being recognised as those with families at their heart.
And UK Docks founder, Harry Wilson, travelled to the finals held in the Royal Geographical Society building in South Kensington, with his sons and company directors, Chris, Gary and John, to enjoy the awards they entered for the first time this year.
On the night, UK Docks emerged as the winners of the North of England (Northern Ireland) Family Business of the Year award.
But to their surprise, they also won the national Community Support and Involvement Family Award and came runners-up to the overall national competition.
UK Docks wins its second major award of the Family Business Awards night - the win coming completely out of the blue.
Jonathan Wilson, managing director of UK Docks, said: “It was a great event and venue with a good mix of businesses from all sectors.
“The award meant a lot to us, not just to receive the recognition but to have achieved it as a family.
“The second award came as a total surprise to all of us, and to get two awards and be runners up for the supreme national award was beyond expectation.”
The company has won a string of awards since being founded in South Shields on a single slipway on the River Tyne in the early 1990s.
Now, it has bases on a national scale and operates globally, serving and maintaining commercial and military vessels across the world, though it retains its headquarters in South Shields.
And across the years of progress, the Wilson family has worked hard to ensure that team spirit and togetherness have been maintained across its centres.
Paul Andrews, managing director of Family Business United, which celebrates the sector, said: “Family businesses are the engine room of the UK economy and UK Docks Marine Services is a family business entrenched with family values, a rich history and invested in the communities in which they operate, which resonated with the judges.
The UK Docks team celebrates a very big night for the company’s reputation at the London awards night.
"As a multigenerational family firm with a strong family presence throughout, three generations currently working together, they also have a long-term commitment to charity and community."
Jonathan said: “Over the years, we've developed and expanded the business and grown together as a family through many challenges and milestones.
“What keeps us going is our commitment and passion for marine engineering and how far we can develop the business.
“Since starting the business, Harry and with the integration of his sons over the years, have built a strong family bond that extends across all our varied business activities.
“Our passion and bond are deeply rooted in diligence, integrity, and adaptability, which have become the cornerstone of our success, fostering unity and purpose in everything we do. “Working together throughout the decades has highlighted our individual strengths, character and weaknesses, enabling us as a family to make informed decisions at every level of our company’s growth and development.
“Our dedication to stability and progress, coupled with and supported by our deep belief in ourselves and each other, has allowed us to overcome failures, successes and everyday challenges.
“That sees us thrive in our ever-changing industry and market environment.
“Our passion for our company and shared bond, strong work ethic, has allowed us to create not only stability for our family but also secure employment for many others. From employees to subcontractors and suppliers, our commitment to their success reflects the values that define our business.”
Paul Andrews said UK Docks deserved all the recognition they received at the national awards night, and he was not surprised to see them feature in three separate awards.
"They are a very strong business financially, committed to giving back and making a positive difference and showing strong attributes in all areas of their submission," he said.
"The passion and bond of the family, together with their strong work ethic, have allowed them to create secure employment for many others, in a sector which, without the drive of their chairman to revive ship repair and reopen yards, when so many others were closing, stood them in good stead.
“His bold decision-making and leadership have not just built a thriving family business but also a respected legacy within the sector that is now being driven by the next generation."
"They are a great British family business that embodies all of the values that these awards were set up to recognise, strong family values, a real sense of purpose backed by grit, determination and entrepreneurial spirit and deserve all the accolades that winning this award affords them."
