Mike Britton
1958 – 2018
Opening Statement
It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that Mike Britton, Group Managing Director, and one of the two founding directors of Goodwill Solutions CIC, passed away on Saturday 10th March 2018.
Mike is greatly missed by all of the Goodwill team; his passion, vision and energy were the driving force that made Goodwill Solutions CIC, Community Interest Company, a leading commercial business, driving social benefit back into the local community.
Mike personally touched the lives of many hundreds of people who took the opportunity to engage in the Goodwill Solutions back to work programmes and moved onto full time paid employment as a result. This improved their lives and that of their families, in many cases dramatically, whilst transforming them into positive contributors to society in general.
Mike was never happier than when he was sharing his time and energy helping others across a wide field of social and business activities in the local community, everyone who came into contact with Mike was impressed with his positive can-do attitude and his ability to understand and communicate what the “real” issues and concerns were.
Mike’s Legacy
Mike created something unique in Goodwill Solutions CIC, and we will ensure that his legacy lives on and Goodwill Solutions continues to help as many people as possible change their lives by getting into full time employment.
In Numbers
In His Own Words
Six years ago I had a choice, retire and do nothing, or do something different?
I decided I wanted to do something different. I had no desire to build a personal financial empire; I’m modestly comfortable in life and I have no children to leave to whom I’d leave my fortune. The alternative I wanted to pursue and realise was to do something for the community.
I often drive through districts of Northampton that have unemployment, anti-social behaviour and crime problems. Driving through the districts and seeing these issues first hand inspired me to think about how I could help to solve them. That’s when I came up with the idea of creating a community interest company, and so I set up Goodwill Solutions.
Our mission is to help the local community by running projects, schemes and programmes developed to train ex-offenders, armed service personnel, former homeless and the long-term unemployed, for employment in the logistics sector.
I believe that the key to really resolve these issues is to help those effected get into work. Once the underlying issues are addressed and a framework for social change can be implemented, these elements can be reduced and ultimately removed from the community.
The simple fact is, unless we as a community can change the way we deal with disadvantaged people, then we will always have societal problems. Our company is trying to change that in Northampton.
Until Goodwill Solutions is able to get 100% of the people in our Back to Work training programmes achieve a complete return to employment then we’ll know there’s still a lot more left for us to do and strive towards.
Seeing these issues first hand inspired me to think about how I could help to solve them
Mike did everything he could to help us start our business in 2013. Today we employ over 25 people and are proud to manufacture our own products here in the UK, none of which would have been possible without Mike.
Mike Britton's vision and commitment to the local community was truly inspirational, which continues through their consistently high service.