On Friday, myself and our Office Manager, Georgia attended the 2016 Living North Awards. We were first introduced to the awards a few months back when we received a surprise letter in the post to inform us we had been nominated for Business of The Year!
The award was sponsored by Sage and the nominees included service industries of all sizes, manufacturers and a range of small businesses.
When we arrived at St Nicholas Cathedral, we were greeted with a glass of bubbly and twinkly lights scattered around the historic beauty that is the cathedral.
My favourite piece of decoration was the huge light-up letters which appropriately spelt out “awards”- which proved to be very difficult to fit into a selfie.
The complimentary drinks did not stop at the door, the cathedral was transformed into a foodie’s paradise with stalls offering free goodies from the likes of local restaurant chain The Fat Hippo to a gin bar.
Food and drink weren’t the only things that catered for everyone’s needs. Flip flops were also on offer for the ladies (myself included) who underestimated the result of cobbled floors mixed with very high heels.
After indulging in wine and sweet potato fries, we took our seats. Of course, as we were in a Cathedral we were actually sat in a pew rather than a traditional dining chair placed around a table. This experience also added to the enchanting, almost fairy-tale like atmosphere.
Presented by local Jason Mark Cook, the awards kicked off.
It’s @jasonmarkcook in the pulpit at @Living_North #LNAwards16 pic.twitter.com/jxyOSozGVS
— Keith Merrin (@kmerrin) November 25, 2016
The trophy for Business of the Year went to Sir John Fitzgerald who has a number of pubs and cafes scattered across the North East each serving locally sourced food. A huge congrats to them!
To even be considered for Business of the Year is a massive achievement for all nominees- so well done to all who were shortlisted!
The awards set out to honour those who are making a difference in the North East, from the local pubs we visit, to main attractions and every contribution in between. We feel honoured to have been shortlisted in the celebration of the North East.
Well done to all those who were nominated and huge congratulations to those who received their well-deserved trophies. We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Living North for a great night which fell nothing short of stunning.
In case you missed it, here’s a full breakdown of the 2016 winners:
Foodie of the Year
Di Meo’s Ice Cream, Whitley Bay
Restaurant of the Year
The Raby Hunt
Informal Dining of the Year
Papa Ganoush
Pub of the Year
The Staith House, North Shields
Bar of the Year
Pleased to Meet You, North Shields
Accommodation of the Year
Coquet Cottages
Hotel of the Year
The Lord Crewe Arms, Blanchland
Attraction of the Year
Beamish
Performance of the Year
Kynren
Retailer of the Year
Kintsley Farm Shop
Business of the Year
Sir John Fitzgerald
Entrepreneur of the Year
Alice Hall, Pink Boutique
Designer Maker of the Year
Trapeze Creative
Health & Beauty Award
Beau Monde Salon Spa
Changing Lives Award
Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care
Promise & Potential Award
Brandon Bailey
Best Regeneration or Restoration
South Tyneside Council
Best programme at a Venue
Laing Art Gallery
Creative Contribution Award
The Biscuit Factory
Our next event is Byte Night’s charity for children. We have tens of other events you can read about, go to page to check them out.
