High Life Highland staff and volunteers to be honoured at awards in Strathpeffer
Staff and volunteers working across High Life Highland services will be celebrated and rewarded at a special event this month.
The organisation’s i-care awards will be held at the Strathpeffer Pavilion on Wedmesday, October 29, with two individuals and one team in line to pick up the prestigious people’s choice award, sponsored by Stagecoach.
Whittled down from more than 200 nominees they are: the High Life Highland Music Team; Steve Jones, gym instructor for Tain and Golspie Leisure Centres; and Alan Gray, Active schools co-ordinator for Ardnamurchan.
High Life Highland staff and volunteers work across seven services - sport, leisure, archives, libraries, countryside rangers, museums and galleries, and music development.
Stagecoach, supporters of the High Life Highland Leadership Programme, are also sponsoring the event’s inspiring young leader award this year, with finalists being Alyssa Tolmie and Harry MacLeod, both from Inverness, along with Scott MacKay, from Smithton.
The shortlist for star volunteer of the year – sponsored by Askews and Holts Library Services – are football coach Kevin Williamson and basketball coach Bryan Stevens, both from Inverness, and Gayle MacRae from Golspie, who helps with a variety of sporting and physical activities in the local area.
Alan Gray has also been shortlisted in the outstanding employee of the year category, sponsored by Aqua Leisure, alongside Joshua Brannan, leisure supervisor and coach at Aviemore Community Centre and Pam Allan, who looks after the 18-bed High Life Highland Torrin Bunkhouse on Skye.
Finally, nominated in the high performing team of the year category, sponsored by Zoggs, are the Green Libraries team, High Life Training Academy, and the Schools Out Programme Launch team.
Michael Golding, chairman of the High Life Highland board said: “The i-care awards are incredibly important to recognise the often unseen work that takes place throughout the year.
“I would like to congratulate all of our staff and volunteers who have been nominated for an award and particularly those individuals and teams that have made the shortlist. All of them are continually striving to make life better for the people of the Highlands.”
The winners will be announced on Wednesday, October 29. Headline sponsors for the annual event are Macgregor Industrial Supplies, Mather & Co, Gladstone, Morrison Construction, and Technogym..