We are delighted to announce that MCR Pathways has won the Silver Award for Best Community Business at the SME Business Awards 2025! The ceremony was a wonderful evening at Harbour Hotel in Guildford, celebrating the best of Surrey’s businesses and entrepreneurs.
The award is a huge honour for us. It recognises community businesses and not-for-profit organisations that are dedicated to creating positive societal impact and it’s a powerful validation to our commitment to young people across Surrey.
This recognition comes a few months after we recently celebrated three years of mentoring in the region. Since the launch, we have supported nearly 600 young people, thanks to our incredible mentors who have dedicated over 7,600 hours of mentoring.
The impact of their commitment to mentoring is something we’re proud of: not a single young person participating in MCR Pathways mentoring across the South East of England has fallen into the not in Education, employment, or training (NEET) category.
When we asked a young person what their favourite thing is about having a mentor, they said: “Someone to talk to and to get help from – I have become more confident in my ability to speak out loud. My mentor has helped me feel more confident reading, along with finding jobs and options in my career options. My mentor is bringing some research in, and I am happy with that!”
Our Surrey Partnerships Manager, Liz Grace, accepted the award on behalf of the team. “I was thrilled to collect this award on behalf of all of the Surrey MCR team, including all of our wonderful mentors. It’s great that the impact we are having supporting young people across Surrey has been recognised in this way,” she said.
The support our mentors provide truly makes a difference. We know from our most recently published impact report that 82% of young people on our programme moved on to university, college or employment after school, compared to 69% of their non-mentored peers.
Our programme is in seven schools across Surrey and recently expanded to King’s College in Guildford. As we continue to grow, the need for new mentors is higher than ever. By giving just one hour a week, you can help a young person ignite their vital spark.
To learn more or to register as a mentor, please visit: mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor.
