Joan Campbell was described by judges as an "unsung hero" when she picked up VisitScotland's prestigious Silver Thistle prize at Friday night's glittering awards ceremony.

The local businesswoman, who ran the five-star Sheiling Guest House in Melvich, is the first ever bed-and-breakfast owner to be presented with the award.

It recognises her outstanding dedication to Scottish tourism and comes as a fitting retirement present – Joan is closing her doors to guests after 40 years in the business.

The award ceremony was held at Edinburgh's International Conference Centre where celebrity comedian and impressionist Alistair McGowan presented the awards.

Yesterday Joan, a member of the North Highland Initiative, told the Caithness Courier she was shocked to receive the award but pleased to be bringing it to the Highlands.

She said: "It is a tremendous achievement. I feel this award is as much for everyone who works outwith their business to develop and promote Scottish tourism as it is for me. I'm inordinately pleased to be bringing it to the Highlands for the first time.

"I believe that Scotland has something really special to offer visitors from around the world and I am committed to working with everyone involved in this important industry to drive up quality. I'm still grinning about it, I feel like the cat who stole the best cream from the big lion."

Joan sits on a number of Scotland's leading tourism committees and has welcomed thousands of visitors to Scotland since starting her business.

VisitScotland's chairman Peter Lederer said: "Joan is an unsung hero of Scottish tourism and has worked tirelessly during the last 40 years to welcome thousands of visitors from around the world to Scotland and ensure that they have a truly memorable stay.

"Her commitment to quality, from the locally-sourced ingredients in her famous Scottish breakfast to her annual decorating sprees, has won her a string of awards, including five stars from VisitScotland, and has kept visitors coming back year after year for more. Joan has also dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort into supporting the wider tourism industry and making Scotland a must-visit, must-return destination."

Tourism minister Jim Mather added: "Tourism is crucial to Scotland's economic wellbeing and its success is driven by the passion of businesses large and small – as Joan demonstrates so well.

"Joan and all the other award winners are role models that the whole of the Scottish hospitality industry would be wise to follow. If everyone in the industry works with the same enthusiasm and dedication as our winners, we can reach the higher levels of customer satisfaction that will make our revenue and profit aspirations easy to achieve."

Meanwhile Scrabster's highly-rated seafood restaurant, the Captain's Galley, has netted itself another top catch – the Taste of Scotland Award.

The award-winning restaurant fought off competition from Finzean Estate, Banchory, and the Forth Floor at Edinburgh's Harvey Nichols department store to lift the prize.

Owner Jim Cowie, said he was "overcome" following the unexpected winning announcement.

The seafood restaurant's commendation follows a number of recent accolades including a silver award from EatScotland, the country's comprehensive guide to eating and drinking.

Jim was also named UK Seafood Chef of the Year at this year's Seafood Awards.

Jim said he was "absolutely delighted" to have picked up one of the top prizes.

He said: "It's been a fantastic year for everyone at the Captain's Galley. When my wife, Mary, and I first bought the old Scrabster ice house we could never have imagined we would win such an accolade.

"We just cook for our customers but it's lovely when somebody comes along and recognises what we're doing. We feel like it's all going the right way and we're just trying to maintain our standards. It's business as usual as far as we're concerned."

Jim, a former fish merchant and operator of a fish factory in Wick, started up the niche restaurant with his wife five years ago and quickly established a reputation for environmentally-friendly practices.

Having spent a career in the industry, Jim is aware of the need to conserve endangered species so he sources fish and shellfish which are not under pressure.

"All the seafood we use is from within a 50-mile radius of the restaurant, which just goes to show that there's no point in shipping fish from far-flung places when we have some of the best food in the world on our doorstep," explained Jim.

"We've got a good team behind us and we've got a lot of support from local businesses and customers. We've got fantastic suppliers making sure we've got the best produce."

The awards were originally launched by VisitScotland in 1991 and were created to reward excellence in Scotland's tourism industry, encouraging professionalism, innovation and creative thinking.

VisitScotland's Highland area director, Scott Armstrong, commented: "The Captain's Galley is a fantastic example of excellence within the Scottish tourism industry and I'm thrilled it has been recognised by VisitScotland.

"The restaurant, alongside other excellent businesses, is helping to position the Highlands as a premium destination for visitors.

"The Scottish Thistle Awards are a celebration of the very best in Scottish tourism and to reach the final and then go on to win an award is an outstanding achievement."

e.mackay@nosn.co.uk

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---