Press Release

16 March 2018

Mitie's Care & Custody colleagues honoured on a trip to the Palace

  • Mitie's outstanding employees win Butler Trust Awards
  • Awards ceremony at St James' Palace recognises people working in UK prisons, probation, and community and youth justice settings
  • HRH The Princess Royal presented certificates to winners

Two of Mitie's Care & Custody employees were yesterday awarded Butler Trust Awards at St James' Palace. Dorothy Coomber and Jackie Smart received certificates from HRH, The Princess Royal. The awards ceremony recognises the achievements of people working in prisons, probation, and community and youth justice settings across the UK.

Launched in 1985, the Butler Trust Awards were the first for people working in this sector, and are considered the most prestigious. This year the Trust received over 300 nominations from across the UK, and granted 11 awards and 19 commendations in total.

Dorothy Coomber, Learning and Regimes Manager at Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre, was recognised for the significant contribution she has made towards the mental and emotional wellbeing of detainees since joining Mitie in August 2013. Dorothy is passionate about enabling detainees to develop skills and enhance their employment prospects. She has introduced a number of accredited vocational courses to Campsfield House, including English, barbering, cleaning, food hygiene, IT and photography, with additional courses in the pipeline. Around 500 accredited vocational certificates have been awarded since Dorothy introduced the courses.

Jackie Smart, Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Manager at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre, has been recognised for the support she has given to detainees and officers across the centre since 2009. Jackie has introduced workshops to support disabled detainees at the centre as well as working with the healthcare team to provide extra support for detainees with depression, sleep problems and drug or alcohol dependency.   

Colin Dobell, Managing Director of Mitie’s Care & Custody business, said:

“We are incredibly proud of both Dot and Jackie’s achievements and it’s great to see them honoured at such a prestigious event as the Butler Trust Awards. They are shining lights in a challenging and difficult environment, and both make their workplace a better place for staff and detainees.”


Notes to editors

About Mitie

Founded in 1987, Mitie is the UK’s leading facilities management and professional services company. We offer a range of specialist services including Security, Engineering Services, Catering, Cleaning, Pest Control, Landscaping, Energy and Property Consultancy, Property Maintenance, and Custody Support Services.

Mitie employs 53,000 people across the country, looking after a large, diverse, blue-chip customer base, from banks and retailers, to hospitals, schools and government offices. We take care of our customers’ people and buildings, by delivering the basics brilliantly and by advanced technology. We are pioneers in the Connected Workspace, using smart analytics to provide valuable insight and deliver efficiencies to create outstanding work environments for customers.