What a way to celebrate 10 years of innovation at doddl with a visit to the Palace.
On the back of their King’s Award for Enterprise win, Catherine Dodd, doddl Founder, represented doddl at a reception held at Buckingham Palace, to celebrate the recipients. Not only this, but as one of the winners of the coveted Innovation category, Catherine was personally selected to meet King Charles III. Here Catherine reflects on her day at the Palace.
“It was a memorable day. My business partner Laura and I arrived appropriately attired at the gates of Buckingham Palace, but sadly this is where we parted company as only 1 person was permitted to attend on behalf of doddl. Strolling through the front gates was a surreal experience having visited many times in the past and stared through those iconic black gates pondering what lay behind. I was escorted into the private courtyard through the main entrance and from there, we weaved our way along corridors and stairs until we reached the state rooms overlooking the gardens, in good time for the start of the reception at 6pm. Champagne and canapes flowed. As I looked out over the gardens it reminded me of the fantastic ‘hip hip hooray’ salute that boomed from my tv during the coverage of the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral. There was such a mix of awardees at the reception; it was fascinating hearing their stories and the paths they followed in building their businesses.
“It was such an honour to be chosen to speak to His Majesty, especially as this was the first year of the King’s Award (having previously been the Queens Award), and in a year that the Royal Family, particularly the Princess of Wales, has committed so passionately to a cause that is close to our hearts – the importance of ‘Early Years’. King Charles and I discussed Innovation and Sustainability, values that sit at the heart of doddl. I was also delighted to have a chance to speak to the Duchess of Edinburgh, and learn that her hands on commitment to sustainability started years ago, mending all her children’s broken toys to avoid waste. His Majesty and other members of the Royal Family departed at about 7.30pm, and the reception drew to a close shortly afterwards, after which time the awardees started to disband….no doubt heading for a celebratory drink to round off the occasion!
“It was a truly unique experience and an honour to meet some of the other very worthy winners of the King’s Award.”
Catherine dodd is founder of doddl, a company that creates innovative feeding tools for children. Catherine created the award winning children’s cutlery from her experiences of raising her 3 children (born within 16 months of eachother) and the challenges she faced at mealtimes. They have recently launched their newest innovation, a world’s first, 2-in-1 bowl, already winning rave reviews and awards, including a gold award in the International Baby Innovation Awards 2023. For more information about doddl visit www.doddl.com and for partnership opportunities speak to Global Head of Sales Tim Dowds – Tim@doddl.com.
