Woodend Barn and Buchanan Food in Banchory, have built up a potentially award winning sponsorship arrangement over the past 18 months.
The company has been shortlisted in two categories for the national 2015 Arts & Business Scotland Awards; People and Entrepreneurship.
The People Award recognises a partnership that uses the power of culture to engage people in the wider community and the Entrepreneurship Award recognises a partnership that has developed business expertise or opportunities within the cultural organisation.
Being creative in business is as important as being business minded in the arts sector. Entrepreneurial ability is needed in both, alongside a strong focus on community. Partnerships that support and foster these factors are recognised in the Arts and Business Awards for Scotland, a national event that celebrates the benefits that arise from partnerships between the business and cultural sectors.
Although adjacent to one another and working frequently to mutual benefit, Buchanan Food and Woodend Barn are two separate endeavours. Buchanan Food chose to become a business sponsor of Woodend Barn when Lorraine Grant became Director -†recognising that the important role the arts play in the health and wellbeing of a community matched the food and hospitality ethos at Buchanan Food.
Through three strands of the programme (Seasonal Dishes, Pull up a Chair and Young Chefs) Buchanan Food and Woodend Barn shared their creativity, expertise and finance to create community, business and sustainability benefits. The support from Buchanan Food for the Pull up a Chair fundraising event enabled Woodend Barn to raise £28,000; Seasonal Dishes engaged a multi-†generational mix over clay and collaborative suppers; Young Chefs gave enthusiastic children the basics in soup, bread and kitchen creativity. Each project raised funds, sustained the arts and focused on people as the drivers for community change.
Val Buchanan says “ To be recognised through the Arts and Business Awards, Scotland is tremendous. It is the first time we have been involved as a business partner with an Arts Organisation. There have been commercial challenges, entrepreneurial exchanges and joint creative benefits. It has been a very positive experience -†opening a conversation that our business is keen to continue.”
Lorraine Grant, Director of Woodend Barn says, “It’s fantastic to achieve this national recognition from Arts & Business Scotland, and for our partnership with Buchanan Food to be able to highlight the creativity and entrepreneurship of the cultural and business sectors in Aberdeenshire, and the tangible benefits such joint working can provide.”
The winners will be announced at the Arts & Business, Scotland Annual Awards ceremony in Edinburgh on 3 February 2016.