Craft Town Scotland Announced as Winners at the Ayrshire Business

Weeks of waiting were over on Thursday evening when the winners of the Ayrshire Business Awards 2011 were unveiled.  We are delighted to say Craft Town Scotland was announced as joint winner of the Rural Enterprise Award, sponsored by Ayrshire LEADER, at the event.  Kay Hall, WKCIL Chair, David Mann, Craft Town Chair and Maggie Broadley, Craft Town Creative Executive attended the glittering ceremony which was once again hosted by Kaye Adams.

Kay Hall said: “This award is testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in progressing the Craft Town over the last few years.  I have enjoyed working with my fellow volunteer Directors during this period, all of whom have significant skills and expertise.  We are lucky to have the support of a team of dedicated volunteers without whom this success would not be possible.”

David Mann also stressed the importance of team work and the contributions of the WKCIL Board, Craft Town Committee and local people who staff the gallery and WK Initiative Centre.  “As well as congratulating our hard working volunteers, Kay and I would also like to thank Maggie, our Creative Executive, for her vision and commitment to excellence.”

It was a great night for North Ayrshire Businesses, out of the ten categories, eight North Ayrshire employers ranging from hotels to cleaning companies, catering businesses to golf clubs collected awards.

Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce Deputy Chief Executive Val Russell said: ““What a night!

I would like to congratulate everyone who entered not just the finalists and winners. The Chamber is proud to be associated with such outstanding companies. To have more than double the number of entries this year is wonderful and emphasises the reason we re-introduced the Ayrshire Awards - to recognise the range and quality of businesses we are fortunate to have here in Ayrshire.”

Maggie Broadley, Craft Town Scotland Creative Executive was interviewed by UR’TV, “Ayrshire’s local TV Chanel” on the way into the event.

“I think it’s important to celebrate the excellence that is going on in the Ayrshire Business Community.  I also thought it was very important that Community enterprises were promoted and put forward for the excellent work that they do, not only as businesses but as community hubs and regeneration projects.”

When asked for the team’s reaction to the win, Maggie said:

“We are absolutely thrilled, we knew we were up against some very stiff competition in the whole category… this recognition means we are raising our profile in Ayrshire and throughout Scotland.  What it also does is recognise the tremendous work done by all the volunteers who have helped drive this community project forward.”

The judges acknowledged the difficult task they had, and this was emphasised by one of the event judges, Eevlyn McNair, Bank of Scotland.

“It was very difficult, even at the stages of reviewing their actual applications…and then what was even more difficult was when it got down to the three finalists and actually trying to choose someone at the end of it.  I hope that whoever the successful winners are, they are delighted tonight.”

Craft Town Scotland Announced as Winners at the Ayrshire Business Awards 2011