Portland College attended the prestigious Chad Business Excellence Awards on 11th November as finalists in both the Covid Response and Ashfield Business of the Year Awards.
Although we didn’t win in these two categories, we were absolutely delighted to see Dr Mark Dale, Principal and CEO of Portland College presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his long service to specialist education and adult social care.
Mark has committed over 35 years of his life and career to educating and empowering young people to strive for positive futures, and helped shape the landscape to increase opportunities for people with disabilities.
As Principal of Portland since 2006, Mark has led the College to become a leading national provider and Centre of Excellence for Autism, and successfully delivered many innovative projects, including Portland Pathways and our fully accessible Woodland Adventure Zone.
Tim Richmond, Chair of Governors at Portland College commented, “This recognition is truly deserved. We’re all very proud of Mark’s achievements over the last 15 years as the College’s Principal and Chief Executive, and of the impact he continues to have on people with disabilities, making the College the very happy and purposeful place it is. Mark is an innovative leader and inspirational mentor who spends a great deal of time celebrating others’ achievements.”
Mark Dale commented, “Firstly, I want to congratulate everyone at Portland for being nominated for two awards. The last 18 months have been a real challenge, but one that our staff have tackled head on in the usual Portland spirit – I am so proud of what staff, learners and residents have achieved.
I am honoured to have been presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Portland Charity has worked with people from all over the UK, but at its heart it is a local organisation, employing mostly local people who, along with all the other winners and finalists, are achieving extraordinary things every day of the week.
Thank you to the Chad for continuing to support our mission and many other local organisations and businesses.”