AN Ardrossan based charity and business both scooped national awards at the prestigious Scottish Diversity Awards last week.

The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety (ScotCPS) based in Ardrossan and Prioriteyes Ltd based in Saltcoats both won the Empowering Champions Award and the Disability Inclusion Champion of the Year Award respectively at a distinguished awards ceremony in Glasgow’s Trades Hall.

The Scottish Diversity Awards 2019 aimed to acknowledge those who believe in an inclusive and diverse Scotland and want to see the country as one of the most welcoming and multi-cultural countries in the world.

The ceremony not only showcased those who believe in diversity but more importantly those who have actively contributed to achieving equality in their business by treating everyone equally and giving them fair opportunities, regardless of their background, gender, religion or economic status.

Volunteer Manager of ScotCPS, Alan Bell said; “We have always highlighted how our Personal Safety courses empower people to live richer, more fuller lives by increasing their self-confidence and reducing their fear of being attacked / anxiety levels.

“Winning the ‘Empowerment Champions Award’ endorses this.

“We are deeply honoured to be recognised both in this field and in our ethos of equality and inclusion with a Scottish Diversity Award.”

Commenting on her win, Norma Baillie said: “I am delighted to have won the ‘Disability Inclusion Champion of the Year’ award.

“I am the founder and operations manager of Prioriteyes Ltd, a company I set up to fill the many gaps in service provision to people who have experienced sight loss.

“My team of highly experienced, qualified vision rehabilitation workers support people across the UK. This award recognises that disability inclusion is a key factor reflected and demonstrated in the services we provide.

“Winning this prestigious national award will hopefully help to raise the profile of the importance of vision rehabilitation intervention.”

The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety would like to take this opportunity to thank Iain Sutherland of Clyde Kilts in Saltcoats for kitting the men out for the awards ceremony.

And to add to their award haul, one of The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety’s registered blind instructors, Yvette Robertson, won the ‘No.1 Volunteer Award’ at the North Ayrshire Partnership Staff Awards 2018 which was held on the same day as The Scottish Diversity Awards.