A FAMILY-RUN company has seen its founder nominated for a top award after raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.

Prime Appointments, a recruitment agency in Witham, recently won the People’s Choice Award for the family business of the year in East Anglia.

The company was also a national runner-up in the same category.

Founder and managing director Robyn Holmes has now been nominated for the lifetime achievement award.

The nomination is recognition of Robyn’s drive and dedication in developing the business and for the company's ongoing efforts to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Robyn founded the recruitment agency in 1992 with best friend Margaret Locke.

However, in 2008 Margaret was tragically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s which meant she had to leave the business.

The company is now run as a family business, with Robyn’s son Jack and daughter Katie helping to shape the business for the future.

Margaret’s illness inspired Robyn and the team at Prime Appointments to start fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society.

A company spokesman said: “Prime’s fundraising began in 2018 with an initial target of £10,000.

“This was reached quickly so the bar was raised to £100,000.

“Everybody within the company helped with the fundraising through raffles, cake bake sales, memory walks, a skydive, an annual golf day and this year a group ran the Colchester Half Marathon.

“Despite Covid, the fundraising continued and by 2022, with the support of many generous people we had achieved our £100,000 goal.

“The Alzheimer’s Society have continued with their pioneering work to help to find a cure for this terrible disease and this in part inspired Prime to continue their own fundraising for them.

“So, the bar was raised again to £250,000 and now in August 2023 we are delighted to be able to announce that in just five years we have now already raised more than £200,000.

“The efforts won’t stop here and soon we will have our annual memory walk, and in 2024 Prime director Jack O’Brien will run the London Marathon to raise further funds.”

To donate, visit justgiving.com/team/together-in-the-fight.