Stars head north for exclusive Awards show

The 3rd MFR Awards ceremony took place on Tuesday April 22nd at the Osprey Arena at Macdonald Aviemore Highland Resort.

The gongs recognised the talents and achievements of Highlanders from Castletown to Kingussie. The nominees are truly the people’s choice, having been chosen entirely by the thousands of MFR listeners who submitted their votes over a six-week period.

The final winners in each of the 11 categories - from Best Community Group to Child Bravery – were decided upon by a panel of judges.

In previous years, the awards have featured performances by a wide array of chart stars including Girls Aloud and Amy Macdonald with many unannounced guests including Daniel O’Donnell and Scotland’s First Minister…and this year was no different.  

The eventual recipients of the 2008 Awards shared the limelight with some very special artistes including X Factor finalists, Same Difference, hot new Australian talent Gabriella Cilmi,  Soul / R&B legend Roachford, Scots favourites, The MacDonald Brothers and the bootylicious girls of Booty Luv.

Managing Director at MFR, Danny Gallagher says:

“MFR, through our listeners, is delighted to honour groups and individuals in our own communities for their outstanding work and dedication. I’m always amazed at the number of applications we have and all the winners are truly deserving. Our partners in the music world always support us and provide great artists on the day. I find it very humbling that we have these remarkable people in our communities and we at MFR think it’s the least we can do to recognise their achievements and talents ”.

Check out the photos HERE and find out about the winners below...

CATEGORY: Environment
SPONSOR: SPP
WINNER: Andrew Wade, Eastgate Centre

Andrew is Operations Manager at the Eastgate Centre in Inverness and he’s passionate about the environment – so much so that his colleagues call him “Mr Environment”. Over the last few years he’s replaced the Centre’s gas boilers, switched to energy saving lightbulbs and recycled hundreds of tonnes of cardboard.

CATEGORY: Contribution to the Community
SPONSOR: Deveron Homes
WINNER: Wanda MacKay

Wanda has been described as “a fabulous asset for Cromarty and the Black Isle”. As well as her work as a youth worker, she’s involved in the Victoria Community Hall, the Fourways Club, First Responders – the people who get there before the ambulance – the football team and the pupils at Fortrose Academy. And on top of all this she helped the young people of Cromarty setup a youth café.

CATEGORY: Best Community Group or Initiative
SPONSOR: Technip
WINNER: Health & Happiness

Health and Happiness work with adults with a learning disability across the Highlands. They help to reduce isolation, improve self-esteem, build confidence and learn new skills through various projects including gardening, music, the arts and IT.

CATEGORY: Local Music
SPONSOR: AJG Parcels
WINNER: Highland Youth Big Band

Highland Youth Big Band are a group of 18 students from across the Highlands that get together every couple of months to rehearse and perform. They’ve put on shows everywhere from Strathpeffer to Southern Sweden and last year released their first CD! No need for a drumroll or a big fanfare… their dedication and hard work speaks for itself.

CATEGORY: Sports Team of the Year
SPONSOR: Scotkilt
WINNER: Elgin Academy Under 15s

Elgin Academy Football Team picked up the Scottish Cup and League Cup in 2007 and are 2 games away from picking up the league cup again this season. The team are described as “a credit to the school” and “a winning team… dedicated to their sport” by those who nominated them and the parents who volunteer to coach the team received special praise too.

CATEGORY: Best School
SPONSOR: Highland Council
WINNER: Drummond Special School, Inverness

Drummond School in Inverness received a glowing report card from those who nominated. The school - the largest special school in the Highland Council area - caters for children with additional support needs and provides nursery, primary and secondary education under one roof. “These people go that extra mile for your child… that’s something you don’t get very often” was just of the many positive comments.

CATEGORY: Up and Coming Youngster
SPONSOR: Northern Constabulary
WINNER: Oliver Smith

Lights, camera, action… Oliver is a self-taught film maker from Fortrose. Last year, at the age of 12, he was nominated for a BAFTA and for the past two years has received a Donald Dewar Arts Award. He was shortlisted for the Blue Peter My Movie Competition and has just returned from Fort William where he picked up the Young Filmmaker Award at the Mountain Film Festival.

CATEGORY: Child Bravery
SPONSOR: Tulloch
WINNER: Georgina Bloomfield

Georgina was born 12 weeks early, in an ambulance, weighing just 2lbs 9oz. She was born with Oesophageal Atresia – a condition which means she can’t swallow. She also had bleeding on the brain, a hole in her heart and two extra ribs. She spent almost a year in hospital during which time she underwent many operations to save her life. Georgina’s now 8, and despite everything she’s gone through, her mum describes has as “one of the happiest girls you could meet”.

CATEGORY: Best Workplace
SPONSOR: Eastgate Centre
WINNER: House of Beauly

“One big team”, “the most wonderful place to work”, “I enjoy every minute of my working life”… just a taster of some of the comments from staff who nominated House of Beauly for the Best Workplace award. Owner Charles Morgan receives particular praise for his “open door” policy and for making everyone feel included. This is clearly an organisation that employees are proud to work for.

CATEGORY: Best Local Pub or Club
SPONSOR: Easter Ross Windows
WINNER: Victoria Park Function Hall

Victoria Park Function Hall is situated next to Buckie Thistle Football Club and is open every weekend for football fans “to enjoy a dram!” The hall also hosts parties for children and adults and over the past three years has become an important part of the community in Buckie – for a football match, quiet drink or a good boogie!

CATEGORY: Contribution to Sport
SPONSOR: One Stop Print & Copy
WINNER: Pam Watson

Pam has been teaching for 51 years and has organised and run fitness classes for women in Elgin, Forres and Inverness on a weekly basis for the last 35 years.  She also runs a weekly class for senior citizens in Forres; some of the members are in their 80s and 90s! She has shown years of dedication; a true contribution to sport.

CATEGORY: Student of the Year
SPONSOR: Simpsons Garden Centre
WINNER: Lynn Munro

Lynn’s mum Glenys was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease in 2000. Their house is now fully equipped with a dialysis suite, which Lynn is trained to use and she’s become more like a young carer. Despite everything she’s been through, Lynn has continued to show dedication to her school work – always achieving great results.

CATEGORY: MFR Lifetime Achievement
WINNER: Joyce MacKenzie

CATEGORY: MFR Music Award
WINNER: Sydney Devine