We were surprised and delighted to win the People category at the Arts and Business Scotland 2015 awards last night which took place at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The annual awards celebrate partnerships and projects that work to promote creativity and cultural engagement across Scotland, contributing to creative and economic well-being. To have our small but perfectly formed partnership with A1 Toys recognised in such a strong category means a great deal!

Winning the very first award of the night also added to the shock and excitement!

Gail Burns, Director of A1 Toys said:

“We are just a small company, so we are surprised and delighted to win this award, particularly given the quality and high profile of the other short-listed partnerships in our category. This really means a lot to us.”

A1 Toys not only supported our performances with cash and in–kind benefits, allowing us to create spectacular concerts full of costumes, props and visuals to appeal to our young audiences, they also provided a dream prize – a trolley dash in the toy shop! – for the winner of the CCC Halloween costume competition.

Catherine Earnshaw, General Manager of CCC said:

“Neither Gail nor I were prepared to find ourselves on stage, holding beautiful trophies being interviewed by the BBC’s Janice Forsyth! It was a shock, but in the nicest possible way. We think the judges must have recognised that this partnership of two small but niche national companies was a perfect fit. We both punch above our weight and are passionate about what we do. Together we were able to bring really entertaining experiences of classical music to both the wider public and our community.”

Watch our reaction (we’re first up!) and interviews with other winners here!

The partnership was praised not only for a spectacular concert enjoyed by 2,000 young people and their families with imaginative costumes and jaw-dropping props but also for our community engagement, bringing professional performances of classical music to schools for children with additional support needs. Owen and Olly devised and presented a superhero programme with all the thrills and spills of the CCC concert hall experience designed to be small-scale but high-impact, enabling pupils with moderate learning difficulties and those with multiple, complex needs to participate together in a valuable creative experience.

Other short-listed partnerships in the People Award category were:

Accenture and Scottish Opera

Buchanan Food and Woodend Barn

Malin Marine Consultants Ltd and National Theatre of Scotland

Scottish Power Foundation and Edinburgh International Book Festival

Scottish Power Foundation and National Theatre of Scotland

Shell (UK) Ltd and Modo- Circus with Purpose

Huge thanks to Arts & Business Scotland and congratulations to all the shortlisted partnerships and winners.