A Barnstaple woman has been named Entrepreneur of the Year for her work helping to break down barriers for those with autism and neurodiverse conditions.
Alex Kelly was named the winner in the entrepreneur category at the recent West Country Women Awards in Plymouth.
Her business WayMakers provides a variety of services to help those are affected by neurodiverse conditions such as autism or ADHD to succeed in their lives and find employment, as well as providing training for workplaces and other organisations.
More than 1,000 women from across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset were nominated for West Country Women Awards across 15 categories.
After being named the winner in her category, Alex said: “I was truly honoured to have our work recognised amongst such a strong line-up of women, doing fantastic things in many sectors across the West Country.
“This recognition isn’t just great for WayMakers, it is especially great for amplifying what is needed and what is possible: a better understanding of neurodiversity means that together we can create more accessible and inclusive communities, schools and workplaces, paving the way for everyone to thrive.”
The awards recognise women in business across the community, celebrating their achievements and triumphs. The Entrepreneur of the Year is dedicated to unearthing the finest entrepreneurial businesses, shining a spotlight on a start-up business.
Alex, who has 20 years experience of working in education and running specialist provision for autistic learners, founded WayMakers in 2020. She recognised that barriers persisted for neurodivergent people across many areas of their lives, especially when it comes to employment.
Seeing an opportunity to create a set of services to help manage these challenges she created WayMakers to help autistic people, employers and the wider community.
She continued: “We feel really passionately about the missed opportunities that are out there, both for individuals who have so much potential and deserve to access full and rewarding lives, and for the businesses that may not yet have inclusive systems in place to benefit from having a diverse workforce.
“If we remember that 20 per cent of us are neurodivergent – meaning we might be autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic, have ADHD (or a combination of these) – then workplaces and services must reflect the communities they serve, otherwise we’re essentially missing one fifth of the population!”