Community Shop’s Executive Chairman, Gary Stott, has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours List - awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to the Circular Economy and Building Communities.
The OBE is an acknowledgement of Gary’s significant contribution to creating lasting positive change in communities across the UK, including being one of the founders of the award-winning social enterprise, Community Shop.
Having pledged his life and career to bettering the lives of people and communities, his pioneering approach led to the development of the UK’s first social supermarket, which was created to tackle the root causes of food insecurity, a growing issue within the UK as cost-of-living pressures continue with many still struggling to afford the food and essentials they need.
Under his leadership, Community Shop has expanded to 16 stores across England, transforming the lives of more than 83,000 families and delivering more than 290,000 personal development programmes, helping thousands back into further education and employment.
Having graduated from Leeds University, Gary was ordained and spent 10 years serving his community as a parish priest and Chaplain to the homeless community in Leeds, before moving into the homelessness sector where he later became the Chief Executive of St George’s Crypt homelessness charity.
Gary has worked on several government programmes seeking to improve homelessness outcomes for people and is Chair, Non-Executive Director and Trustee of several charities including Barnsley Food Access Network, Incredible Edible and both Feeding Barnsley and Feeding Liverpool.
As Executive Chairman of Community Shop, Gary is part of the government’s new National Endeavour to End Avoidable Food Waste alongside organisations including Felix, Trussell, Feeding Britain and the IGD, and was named in The Grocer’s Charity Power List earlier this year, having also received an Honorary Fellowship from Social Enterprise UK and inducted into its Hall of Fame.
Gary Stott, OBE, says: “It’s an absolute privilege to work within a sector and with people so totally committed to delivering positive change for people, communities and the environment.
Over the last 20 years I have worked with some brilliant people and together we have created long-lasting and sustainable solutions by empowering people to develop their own capabilities and deliver positive futures for themselves and their communities. I am incredibly humbled to receive this honour from His Majesty the King.”