Two Lochaber Businesses Are Finalists
The Highland heat of the 2009 Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust Awards takes place in Inverness Town House on Wednesday 16 September.
The Awards, sponsored by Tulloch Homes Group, celebrate the achievements of young Highland entrepreneurs. This year’s finalists are Katrina McDowell from The Old Orchard Gardens, Lochaline and Fraya Thomsen and Gillian Fleetwood from The Duplets, based in Arisaig.
Katrina is 26 and was born in Belfast. After attending Dundee University, where she obtained an HNC in nursing, she moved to Ardnamurchan first working for a boat charter firm and then the Clydesdale Bank. Following the birth of her son she decided to give self employment a try and started her business in May 2008 with the assistance of the PSYBT.
The Old Orchard Garden Centre is situated in the centre of the village and provides fresh vegetables, shrubs, trees, plants and gardening supplies to customers throughout the Ardnamurchan peninsula and beyond.
RSAMD graduate Fraya Thomsen, aged 27 and Strathclyde University graduate Gillian Fleetwood, 26 formed The Duplets in April 2007. Both Fraya and Gillian are very experienced session musicians and teachers and decided to form a business to showcase harp music to a national and international audience.
The PSYBT helped with funding to allow The Duplets to produce their first CD, “Tree of Strings” and since then the talented duo have performed extensively as The Duplets and as part of other musical projects.
During the award ceremony the judging panel will reveal their decision and make the presentation. The winning business will receiving a cash prize and, if selected to represent the Region, could go on to win the coveted national title, The Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust Young Entrepreneur of the Year at a ceremony in Glasgow held in November.
PSYBT was launched in January 1989 and is a national organisation with offices in 18 regions across Scotland. To date 11,000 young people have been given assistance to start almost 9,000 businesses and £31.7 million has been invested into new ventures in the form of loans and grants.
In Highland the PSYBT is supported by The Highland Council and Highland Opportunity Ltd.