Search results for : with the tag award
Miss Divine UK Finals – 2018!
The sun sparkles against the river Usk as we arrive at the modern Riverfront Theatre in the heart of Newport. This is the first time Miss Divine UK have held their grand finals at the impressive venue and it’s the perfect setting for the crowning of this year’s Queens. The competition is high and there’s an air of excitement as contestants from all over the United Kingdom arrive at the theatre with shared hopes of taking home their very own Miss Divine title. The girls have worked exceptionally hard to earn their place as a contestant in one of Wales’ most empowering beauty pageants; after having already won their divisional titles. Glamorous ball gowns, high heels and glittering crowns are carefully escorted through the reception area as the girls make their way backstage in preparation for the busy day ahead. It’s not the first time we have joined Miss Divine UK in their grand finale celebrations. After attending their first crowning ceremony the year before we were in awe of the determination, hard work and passion radiating from all of those involved; attributes which have become fundamental to the pageant’s success. This year I have been given the unique and exciting opportunity of joining the Miss Divine UK judging panel; gaining an insight into all the hard work put in by everyone involved. We will be scoring the girls based on a variety of different qualities and the great work they have carried out throughout the year working tirelessly to support a wide range of charities and communities. Joining me…
Miss Divine UK Finals!
Miss Divine UK would have struggled to find a more beautiful setting to celebrate the final night of their beauty pageant competition. The New House Country Hotel stands proudly overlooking the dynamic city of Cardiff. The original period features are only enhanced by the gentle candle light as they welcome guests to the majestic 19th Century manor house. A charming marquee sits in the hotel garden and it’s immediately evident why so many couples choose this venue as the perfect setting for their wedding ceremony. Tonight however, the hotel is hosting an entirely different celebration and we are overwhelmed by the number of guests who have turned up to see the next Miss Divine UK receive their crowns. Stalls selling make up, hair and beauty products decorate the beautiful marquee and friendly traders are more than happy to share beauty tips and advice as the customers sample their exclusive products. Having never attended a beauty pageant before, we weren’t really sure what to expect, but the organisers welcomed us with open arms and the evening’s entertainment did not fail to impress. This included a very talented dance show from Rhians Dancer‘s and a very powerful enjoyable performance from Yasmine. The girls are all here for different reasons, but it is clear that this opportunity gives girls the chance to shine and increase their confidence. Maegan Beaton chose to brave the stage to help her overcome her own challenges: I never thought I’d ever be on stage again.. for many reasons, but mainly due to struggling constantly with my mental…
Miss Divine UK a pageant unlike any other
Miss Divine UK is an organisation with aims to support and empower females from all over the United Kingdom to achieve their individual success. The organisation works with women and young girls from a variety of different backgrounds and offers them a platform to develop important life skills, make new friends and gain incredible opportunities. It is extremely important to them to provide a positive, happy and fun place for young girls to grow and express themselves while learning valuable skills. The females that are involved in the organisation are all truly inspirational and powerful in their own right, and Miss Divine UK encourage them to recognise their strengths and how they can use them to make a difference in the world. Miss Divine UK have an outstanding range of females from all walks of life that want to use their personal experiences to inspire others to follow their dreams. Some of their girls are; cancer survivors, burns victims, mental health sufferers, rape/sexual assault victims, victims of bullying etc. The main thing that they all have in common is that the trauma they have suffered has given them a purpose, which is to empower other women and raise awareness for these issues so that other sufferers are not alone. It is all about making a positive impact on your community and society as a whole. The phenomenal stories that we hear from girls as young as six that are a part of Miss Divine UK leave us speechless, these females are true inspirations. Of course, there is still a huge stigma…
Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company Creates a buzz
Social Enterprise Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company (SVHC) scooped the Pride in Your Place overall award. SVHC were recognised for their success in the innovative and ground breaking project bringing the importance of bees into the local schools. Honeybees are in crisis worldwide said SVHC founder, experienced beekeeper Lorne East Disease and climate change are decimating the numbers and impacting on the health of bee colonies. The knock-on effect of this decline is that our plants – most especially food crops – are not being pollinated as well as we might like them to be, and there is a real threat to our capacity to produce food. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Pride in Your Place award ceremony was recently held at Blackwood Miners’ Institute to celebrate the environmental work undertaken by groups, schools and individual volunteers. The Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company clinched the overall award for their efforts in helping to stimulate local bee populations, as well as developing a honey education centre in Ynysddu. The education centre helps to teach groups of all ages can learn about the importance of pollinators in supporting a healthy food chain. Tyn-Y-Wern Primary with their award Other winners during the awards ceremony included: Environmental Champion – Mrs Daryl Resting for her work on litter clearance and bird box installations in and around the Caerphilly Basin Tyn Y Wern Primary – improving the local community with clean ups, planting and creating habitats for hedgehogs Fochriw Primary – salmon hatchery project Pengam Primary – making their school a more attractive place to learn and visit Cllr…
Caerphilly Florist Wins Top Award
A florist in Caerphilly town centre has been crowned one of the best in the UK. Nicola Downie who owns The Caerphilly Florist in Cardiff Road has been accepted into the exclusive Good Florist Guide, the gold standard of floristry and the only merit-based guide to the finest florists in the UK. To be part of the Guide, each florist undergoes a rigorous evaluation process with submissions being vetted by a panel of industry experts to ensure they meet the strict criteria. The focus is not only on the florist designs, but also the service and value they offer customers. Nicola said: We are delighted to be accepted into the Good Florist Guide. At The Caerphilly Florist we are passionate about flowers, design, quality and customer service so it is wonderful to be recognised. Caroline Marshall-Foster who is the editor of The Florist magazine and Executive Director of Good Florist Guide said: You can buy flowers virtually anywhere these days. But nothing really beats the experience of receiving fabulous flowers from a truly bespoke florist. The Good Florist Guide allows consumers to know that the florist they use is able and willing to go the extra mile and make all their purchases, big or small, truly special. The Caerphilly Florist has an offer in the ‘Choose the High Street’ Christmas Voucher Booklet which is available from 1st November in the foyers of Morrisons, ASDA and Tesco stores across the Caerphilly County Borough.
Local Salon in Good Spirit after yet another Award
A local hair salon has recently added another award to its already bulging trophy cabinet. Set up in 2005 by Donna Friend and her business partner Janine O’Callaghan, Spirit Hair Team on Commercial Street in Ystrad Mynach has won a variety of awards for the staff’s creative skills and customer care, including a “Good Salon Guide 5 Star Award”. Indeed, Donna herself was recently awarded the “Master Craftsman Diploma in Hairdressing”. Spirit‘s latest accolade came when an apprentice at the salon – Josh Griffiths – won an award for the blow dry he completed during his first ever entry into a competition. Josh‘s weeks of practising and hard work in preparation clearly paid off! Donna said: We are really proud of our team and our Academy, everyone works so hard and that’s why they get the results.
Cwmcarn Forest recognised for top class TripAdvisor feedback!
Cwmcarn Forest has been awarded the 2016 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor. Now in its sixth year, the award celebrates hospitality businesses that have earned great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor over the past year. Certificate of Excellence recipients include attractions and tourist destinations located all over the world that have continually delivered a quality customer experience. The Certificate of Excellence accounts for the quality and quantity of reviews submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months. Cllr. Ken James, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning & Sustainable Development said: This is a much deserved award for Cwmcarn Forest. The staff all work hard to ensure that visitors receive great customer service, and I’m pleased to see that this has been recognised by the visitors themselves who leave positive feedback on TripAdvisor. Original Article
Gritty Realism Wins Zoom Cymru Award for Film About Miner’s Wives Stories
Animation company Gritty Realism Productions based in Tredomen Business and Technology Centre have won a Zoom Cymru Award for Best Film for their animated film based on the reminiscences of miner’s wives who were involved in the 1984 – 1985 strike. Funded by the Arts Council of Wales, Communities First and Caerphilly Arts Development the film, ‘Striking Stories’, takes an often humorous look at how this experience changed the lives of these women. It was made with young people in the Caerphilly area from Senghenydd Youth Drop in Centre and St Martin’s School working with professional filmmakers Jeremy Roberts and Gritty managing director Gerald Conn. Photo: Gerald Conn (Gritty Realism Productions), Charlotte Moss, Nikki Pitten, Matthew Thorne (Senghenydd Youth Drop in Centre) The company had previously won a Zoom Award for their film ‘Shadows of Senghenydd’ in 2014 which was also made with SYDIC and was screened at the San Francisco Film Festival. ‘Striking Stories’ involved a group of girls from the youth centre who interviewed a number of local women about their role in the 1980s strike. These interviews were edited and the young people drew storyboards to illustrate these stories. The film also involved working with pupils from the Lansbury Park Estate at St Martin’s School in Caerphilly. The school has a strong track record in film with school leavers now working in the animation industry. Gerald also returned during the post-production stages of the film to record a song by a former pupil Megan Churchland. The film had its premiere screening in Blackwood Miner’s Institute. One of…
Nominate your local heroes in the Voluntary Sector Awards 2013
It is time again to nominate your local heroes for the recognition they deserve with the Voluntary Sector Achievement Awards 2013! The annual award ceremony is organised by Caerphilly County Borough Council and GAVO and rewards local volunteers for their contribution to the community. The categories for this year’s Voluntary Sector Achievement Awards are: Young Volunteer of the Year – Sponsored by Gwent Police and open to individual volunteers aged 25 and under Record Breaking Volunteer – Longest service as an individual volunteer Environmental Volunteer – An individual or group of volunteers who have contributed to improving their environment Fundraising Volunteer – Focuses on the method used to fundraise, rather than specifically the amount of money raised Employer Supported Volunteer – Individual or group of volunteers who via their employers encouragement and support have contributed to the well-being of the community. Inspirational Volunteer – A person with learning or physical disabilities who, in being an inspirational volunteer, has contributed to the wellbeing of the community Retired Senior Volunteer – Open to individual volunteers aged 60 and over Practical Service Adult Volunteer (Individual) Practical Service Adult Volunteer (Group) – Individuals/groups who have provided service to improve the quality of life for another person or for the community New Volunteer – An individual who is new to voluntary work (within the last eighteen months) The closing date for all applications is Friday 26th April 2013 – all individual and group volunteers must carry out their voluntary work within Caerphilly county borough. The award ceremony will take place at Penallta House on 19th June 2013. Download the Voluntary Sector Awards 2013 nomination form or call 01443 863540.