Percussion Play has been named as the winner of a 2021 Queen’s Award for Enterprise – one of the highest accolades and most prestigious awards a UK-based company can win. They were informed that Her Majesty The Queen had approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation that they should receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category in acknowledgment of their outstanding growth in overseas sales over the past three years.
The International Trade category of the Queen’s Awards welcomes entries from organizations based in the UK that have been successfully growing their sales overseas - whether that's in one or more foreign markets. Winners must have demonstrated that their business has achieved substantial growth in overseas earnings and in commercial success (for their business size and sector) through either outstanding achievement over 3 years or continuous achievement over 6 years.
An expanded demand for intelligently crafted and harmonized instruments increased Percussion Play's international sales by 85 percent, which now accounts for more than 72 percent of total sales. With clients and distributors in more than 50 countries, its top five markets are the USA, Australia, Denmark, Canada, and China.
Commenting on the award win, Percussion Play founder and Managing Director, Jody Ashfield, said: “We feel extremely honored to win a Queen’s Award and delighted to receive such recognition of our business growth and success. We are very proud to know our outdoor musical instruments, manufactured here in Hampshire, are being enjoyed by communities across the globe. We’ve shipped our instruments to be played in so many different locations, from busy city parks and playgrounds to locations where they are used for music therapy, dementia care, music education and to create interactive community spaces designed to bring people together. On behalf of our amazing team, we will enjoy this moment and continue to work hard to bring a little harmony to the world.”
The Queen's Award for Enterprise is an award for outstanding achievement by UK businesses. Winners have usually been announced annually on 21st April, the birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, however as the royal family was in a two-week period of official mourning following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the announcement was delayed until 29 April.
Designed to recognize and encourage outstanding achievements in the fields of Innovation, International Trade, Sustainable Development, and Promoting Opportunity (through social mobility) the Queen’s Awards scheme was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965 and the first Awards were made in 1966. Now in its 55th year, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise is one of the most respected and esteemed global business awards.
To find out more visit Queens Award For Enterprise
After successful careers in the UK playground industry, Directors Robin and Jody Ashfield began designing and creating outdoor musical instruments in 2008, and Percussion Play was incorporated in 2011. Their intention was clear, to create high-quality, weather-resistant fully accessible musical instruments that were sonically accurate, beautiful to look at, accessible, and designed so anyone could play them.
Their experience of building playgrounds and sensory gardens for schools and community projects helped identify a gap in auditory playground equipment. Sensory gardens offer gentle stimulation in a therapeutic environment and outdoor music works effectively when combined with these spaces. Outdoor musical instruments present schools and nurseries with an excellent way of incorporating outdoor education into the curriculum. They make creative, inclusive playground equipment as well as excellent music education resources.
The company has grown considerably over the past ten years and now employs 18 dedicated staff whose talents and actions help achieve excellence every day.
They strongly believe in extending play beyond the traditional, making play inclusive and the positivity of multi-generational interaction. Music has great power for bringing people together and including musical instruments in a park, playground or trail makes music-making irresistible for people of all cultures, ages, and abilities.
Commenting on the award win, Percussion Play’s managing director, Jody Ashfield said, “Music is naturally the most universal language at our disposal, and Percussion Play instruments are effortlessly played and enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. Differences in age, gender, ethnic or linguistic background have no place in music, and obstacles present in other activities defined by motor and mental ability are absent where music is concerned.
“We have enjoyed significant international demand for our instruments from an ever-increasing diverse audience. We thank the judges for appreciating this and recognizing our successful partnerships with our distributors and clients across the world.”
Percussion Play creates a wide range of harmonized ensembles in various landscapes all over the world across residential, commercial, and urban projects.
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