‘Spirit of Our Community’ Awards return for third year

We have launched our Spirit of Our Community Awards for a third year, marking our ongoing commitment to supporting good causes across its whole Scottish network.

Launched in 2022, the International Beverage Spirit of Our Community Awards were founded to celebrate and reward the people and organisations working hard to make a difference to others in the Airdrie and Coatbridge community, where the business’s head office is based. In 2023 the programme was extended to incorporate an additional two regions which surround the company’s distilleries in both the Speyside and Highlands regions.

Now a bi-annual initiative, the 2025 awards will be split into three zones which any local charity or not for profit organisation can enter.

· Zone 1 the ML5 and ML6 Airdrie and Coatbridge region;

· Zone 2 within a 35-mile radius of Aberdeenshire’s Knockdhu Distillery and Speyside-based Speyburn and Balmenach Distilleries;

· Zone 3 within a 35-mile radius of Pulteney Distillery in Wick and Balblair Distillery in Tain.

In Zone 1, there is a £10,000 award on offer for one deserving charity, with two £1,000 runners up awards. Zone’s 2 and 3 will each offer a £5,000 award for the standout entry in their area, plus there will be five runners up across both zones which are set to receive £600 each.

Interested groups and charities now have 7 weeks to submit their entries to meet the deadline - midnight on Friday 28th November. Every submission will be reviewed by a panel of judges, made up of members of the distillery teams alongside representatives from long standing local charity partners.

Awards organiser, International Beverage Business Support Manager Eileen Rae, is hoping to hear from a wide range of charities across Scotland - with causes that can demonstrate a tangible, positive impact on local lives most likely to stand out with judges.

She commented: ‘Our business has a long-standing commitment to supporting local communities and our Spirit of Our Community awards scheme is testament to this. We are very proud to be back for a third year, and to continue to hear stories from previous award recipents of the difference our support has made to their organisation and to people’s lives.

‘There are so many fantastic charities and groups that carry out invaluable work in our local communities, and we really want to hear from them. Any organisation that needs a helping hand or has an initiative that needs funding, regardless of their size or cause, is encouraged to apply.’

The recipient charity of the 2023 Awards in Zone 1 was Airdrie’s Moira Anderson Foundation, which provides support to children and adults affected by childhood sexual abuse. Funding was used to provide more individual and group therapies and counselling alongside other services and preventative work. Charity Director Gillian Urquhart said:

‘Childhood sexual abuse is happening in our communities every day and it inflicts profound wounds that linger into adulthood and can cast a long shadow over survivors’ lives. This abuse is often hidden but sadly it is not rare. We received 803 new referrals last year, which is a truly daunting statistic, but we continue to rise to the challenge. The invaluable support provided by the Spirit of Our Community Awards has helped the children, young people and adults referred to us to reach their outcomes and not let their abuse define who they are and what they can achieve’.

Additional recipients of the 2023 Awards included:

· £5000 to The Watermill Foundation, the Nairn-based trust that gives children with physical and developmental disabilities the opportunity to race and ride bikes.

· £5000 to Ormlie Community Hall which provides social services and care to individuals and their families within a deprived area of the Highlands.

A further £5,000 split amongst seven runners up: St Andrew’s Hospice, Diamonds in the Community, James Support Group, Seaboard Memorial Hall, Culrain and District Hall Committee, Young Enterprise Scotland Highland & Moray and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.

To learn more about the awards and to download an entry form, please visit: Spirit of the Community Page