Spirit of Our Community Awards launches for second year

International Beverage backs local communities with £25k charity initiative

One of Scotland’s leading spirits producers has launched its annual charity initiative for a second year, extending the company’s commitment to supporting good causes across its whole Scottish network.

Launched in 2022, the International Beverage Spirit of Our Community Awards were created to celebrate and reward the people and organisations working hard to make a difference to others in their local community.

Last year the awards ran in the Airdrie and Coatbridge region, where the business’s head office is based. Following a successful first year, the scheme has now been extended across Scotland and 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 25-mile radius of the business’s two more northerly distilleries Pulteney in Wick and Balblair in Tain.
• Zone 3 – Within a 25 miles radius of Aberdeenshire’s Knockdhu Distillery and Speyside-based distilleries Balmenach and Speyburn.

In zone 1, there is a £10,000 award on offer for one overall winning 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, one for each distillery region, who are set to receive £600 each.

Having spent years working with and supporting local charity groups, the International Beverage employee-led charity group formed the Spirit of Our Community Awards to step up its role in the community near the company’s Airdrie offices. This year all five distilleries are looking forward to getting involved and supporting the causes that are making a difference in their Highland and Aberdeenshire communities.

Interested groups and charities now have 6 weeks to submit their entries before Monday 20^th 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.

What are judges looking for? As awards organiser, International Beverage Business Support Manager Eileen Rae says that it’s all about ideas that will have a positive impact on local lives.

She commented:

We are very proud and excited to be launching year two of the Spirit of Our Community Awards and to be extending them into the communities surrounding our distilleries. There are so many wonderful charities and groups out there doing the most inspiring work in the distilleries’ communities, dedicating themselves to helping others at a time when people need this kind of support more than ever. Any organisation that has an exciting project that needs funding or just needs a bit of a helping hand to continue the great work they are already doing: please get your entries in!

The inaugural Spirit of Our Community Awards were won by GlenboigLarder@BHS: a new sustainable community resource providing subsidised food shopping to anyone in the Coatbridge area experiencing food poverty, and to do so with dignity. Known as ‘The Larder’, this innovative new store, set up jointly by community health charity Glenboig Development Trust and Buchanan High Additional Support Needs School, received the top prize of £10000 in 2022.

To learn more about the awards and to download an entry form, please enter here