Praising Perfect Partnership
The best creative partnerships between business and the arts were recognised at the 21stannual Arts & Business Cymru Awards ceremony, sponsored by Valero, at Wales Millennium Centre on 9 May. The winners, ranging from individual supporters to major companies, received trophies specially commissioned from Cardiff based glass artist Jane Beebe. High profile Welsh performers, including Coronation Street’s Caroline Berry, Suzanne Packer and Lee Mead from Casualty and singing star Rhydian Roberts presented the awards at a sell-out black tie ceremony. The winners and guests were entertained by NoFit State Circus and the string quartet Graffiti Classics, thanks to sponsorship from Waterstone Homes.
The Awards encourage, acknowledge and celebrate exemplary partnerships between the private sector and the arts and reflect the broad spectrum of work undertaken by A&B Cymru across the country. The winners included businesses ranging from a North Wales micro-brewery to multi-national companies. Each had clearly defined objectives for partnering the arts – enhancing its brand, reaching a specific target market, playing an active part in the community or training and developing its staff.
The categories were sponsored by key Welsh organisations and this year’s winners are:
Arts, Business & Brand Identity, sponsored by Arup:
Winner Welsh Whisky Company’s Penderyn for its partnership with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
Arts, Business & the Community, sponsored by Wales & West Utilities:
Winner Merthyr Valleys Homes for its partnership with Literature Wales.
Arts, Business & Young People, sponsored by Hospital Innovations:
Winner Sony UK Technology Centre for its sponsorship of It’s My Shout Productions.
Arts & Small Business, sponsored by Principality Building Society:
Winner Great Orme Brewery for its sponsorship of the Ymuno Festival
Arts, Business & the Environment, sponsored by West Coast Energy:
Winner Renault Cardiff for its partnership with Chapter.
Arts, Business & Employees, sponsored by Cartrefi Conwy:
Winner Wales & West Utilities for its partnership with Act Now Creative Training.
Arts, Business & Long Term support, sponsored by SRK Consulting:
Winner Principality Building Society for its 35 year sponsorship of the National Eisteddfod.
Business Adviser of the Year, sponsored by University of South Wales:
Winner Kay Walters, Pobol for her contribution to Artis Communty.
The Admiral Business of the Year Award:
Winner Principality Building Society for its partnerships with The Aloud Charity and the National Eisteddfod.
The Legal & General Arts Award:
Winner Chapter for the outstanding way it works with its business partners – Admiral, Legal & General, Renault Cardiff and Richer Sounds.
The special Philanthropy Award was given to The Gingell Family for their generous personal support of Cardiff based gallery g39.
The award winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges who have expertise in practical art forms, sponsorship and the aims of the private sector. They are: North Wales based Artist Cefyn Burgess, veteran Broadcaster Beti George, Managing Director of Spindogs Liam Giles, Head of Communications at University of Wales Shone Hughes, Director of the Tesni Group of Companies, Paula Jewson and former Operations Manager at Legal & General Mary Sinclair Porter.
The A&B Cymru Awards benefit from staunch in-kind support from a range of Wales based businesses, including Carrick Creative, Celtic Spirit, Flightlink, Flower Lodge, Fruitapeel,John Lewis Cardiff, Kuoni, Llanllyr Source, Park Plaza, Cardiff and Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts. For the first year, the ceremony’s media partner was Orchard Events.
