Ursula Boardman, Head of Centre at The CRUMBS Project, is to receive a special Kitchen Porters Club Champion Award in recognition of her commitment to CRUMBS trainees and their place within the wider hospitality industry.
The award recognises Boardman’s sustained work in nominating trainees from The CRUMBS Project for Kitchen Porter of the Month, a monthly initiative run by the Kitchen Porters Club and sponsored by MEIKO UK.
Each month, kitchen porters nominated by colleagues are recognised by the Kitchen Porters Club. Award recipients receive official membership, including a Kitchen Porters Club apron, a MEIKO UK water bottle and a certificate.
For CRUMBS trainees, that recognition carries particular significance. It provides a visible connection between their training, their progress and the professional kitchens they are working towards joining.
The CRUMBS Project is a Dorset-based hospitality training programme dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities through accredited traineeships. At the charity’s heart is a belief in inclusion, industry standards and the transformative power of a career in hospitality.
Trainees are immersed in every aspect of kitchen life. Their development extends beyond food preparation, helping them understand the importance of organisation, cleanliness, teamwork and consistency in the smooth running of a professional kitchen.
Through Kitchen Porter of the Month, CRUMBS trainees have had their contribution acknowledged alongside kitchen porters working across hospitality. That matters. It builds confidence, creates pride and reinforces the value of every role in the kitchen.
Central to this has been Boardman’s advocacy. As Head of Centre, she has taken the time each month to nominate trainees, ensuring their effort, progress and professionalism are not kept within the walls of the training centre.
Her work reflects a practical form of inclusion. It is not simply about supporting trainees through training, but about helping them be recognised as emerging hospitality professionals.
Professor Peter Jones MBE, Chair of The CRUMBS Project, said: “Ursula’s ongoing work in nominating CRUMBS trainees for Kitchen Porter of the Month has been far more meaningful than a monthly recognition exercise.
“For our trainees, being acknowledged by the wider hospitality industry can make a fundamental difference to confidence, self-belief and future opportunity. Ursula understands that recognition is not only about celebrating what someone has done, it is about helping them believe in what they can go on to achieve. Her commitment has given our trainees pride in their work and a stronger sense of belonging in the industry they are training to join.”
Boardman’s nominations have shown how powerful consistent recognition can be. For trainees developing skills and confidence, receiving an apron, water bottle and certificate is more than a monthly prize. It is a public signal that their work matters.
Paul Anderson, Managing Director of MEIKO UK and head of the Kitchen Porter of the Month judging process, said: “Peter captures the importance of this perfectly. Ursula has shown what true championing looks like: consistent, thoughtful and focused on the people whose efforts deserve attention.
“The Kitchen Porters Club was created to elevate the role of kitchen porters, and Ursula has embraced that purpose with exceptional care. To recognise her contribution properly, we are introducing the Kitchen Porters Club Champion Award, with Ursula as its first recipient. This will be a special recognition, awarded only when someone has gone above and beyond in making sure others are encouraged and their contribution properly acknowledged.”
The award recognises not only what she has done for individual trainees, but the example she has set for hospitality.
Her work shows that recognising kitchen porters, trainees and emerging professionals is not a gesture. It is part of building a stronger, more inclusive and more observant industry, one that understands the value of every person contributing to a professional kitchen.
If you would like to follow Ursula’s example and show one or more of your kitchen porter colleagues just how much their work and application is appreciated, please do so by sending an email to: editor@handcnews.com
It only takes a few minutes and makes a huge difference to those that keep our kitchens in perfect working order.