OBE FOR CAROL!
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WHEN Carol Shanahan spoke to headteachers at the start of lockdown, she asked them ‘who are the families that keep you awake at night’.
She and her team of volunteers soon had a list of children who were at risk of going hungry and missing out on support.
Since then, they have managed to deliver 155,000 meals to 43,000 people across Stoke-on-trent. And 42 schools have been involved in nominating families in need.
Now Carol’s dedication to making a difference has earned her an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
The 62-year-old, from Stone, couldn’t believe it when she first got the official confirmation.
“I thought it was one of those scam emails at first. But I looked further down and it seemed legit,” she said.
“I’m so pleased it’s for services to Stoke-on-trent. That’s the bit I’m most proud of. But it’s not just me – it’s down to a fantastic team.”
The support during lockdown was overseen by the Hubb Foundation, Synectics Solutions and Port Vale. Carol founded the Hubb Foundation and owns the two other organisations, so a Zoom call brought everyone together.
They commandeered the kitchens at Vale Park for the mammoth operation. Alongside the food, families were also given boxes of fun science learning activities, and household essentials such as toiletries and cleaning products.
“I remember delivering the 100,000th meal to a single mum in Smallthorne,” said Carol. “She was struggling to get out and really isolated. But having that contact made a difference.”
For the business owner – who jokes she’s gone from ‘one O-level to an OBE’ – it’s all been part of her mission to help drive social mobility in the city.
Her community work really took off after Synectics Solutions relocated from Newcastle to Burslem several years ago.
“I just fell in love with the area and realised the community really did need more support,” she recalled.
“I started a holiday programme, working with local schools and families. That grew and grew and we then set up the charity, the Hubb Foundation.”
The charity now oversees the holiday activities and meals for children, but its reach is far wider. It has also helped parents to achieve things themselves, including adult learning qualifications.
The Hubb has even won praise from education ministers, who have been keen to see the impact as part of Stoke-on-trent’s official status as an ‘opportunity area’.
Carol co-chairs the city’s opportunity area partnership board, which has overseen a wide range of education projects aimed at helping young people to succeed.
She added: “Yes, there’s been school improvement. But the challenges schools face are very often social. They provide far more than education. They are social hubs – the point where families come together.
“And anything we can do to support that has got to be good.”