Countdown’s Quiet Hour has been recognised for its efforts to help educate the community about autism. Kirsten Dinnan from Countdown Marton received the Geneva Healthcare Industry Award.
The award is part of Geneva Healthcare’s annual Pillars Awards and recognises those who go above and beyond to help make a difference and empower communities despite age, disability, illness or injury.
Kirsten Dinnan and the Countdown Marton team were praised for their fantastic effort for implementing the Quiet Hour and helping to bring light to the issues faced by customers or their family members who are impacted by autism.
“I’m delighted to have won this award and am really proud to work for a company like Countdown that gave me the freedom to bring this initiative to life,” says Kirsten Dinnan, who is now the Store Manager at Countdown Wanganui.
“We always want to provide a shopping environment where our customers and team feel really welcome, safe and comfortable. We’d heard of dedicated low-sensory shopping times overseas and one of our Countdown Marton team members, who has first-hand experience as the parent of an autistic child, suggested a Quiet Hour for Autism Awareness Week.
“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback, so much so that Countdown Marton has permanently set aside a Quiet Hour every week and now more Countdown stores are introducing the initiative as well. It’s amazing to know that we can make such a difference to some of our customers,” she says.
