Thursday 9th May saw our small team all get dressed up and head out to The Small Awards where we were shortlisted for a Small Award in the 'Bricks and Clicks' category.
The Small Awards targets the whole small business sector focusing on businesses often overlooked by other awards. There are lots of small businesses out there doing amazing things for the economy and community so to have someone recognise this is brilliant and much appreciated.
To get us in the mood on the night, Rowena booked myself, Mary and Maria into some complimentary pampering at the venue. Hair was kindly provided by Serenity Loves and makeup by Kiss and Makeup. I've honestly never had such perfect eyeliner!
It was such a lovely little pamper session. The ladies could not have been lovelier and it was just nice to sip bubbles and chat with other nervous nominees!
The evening really kicked off with some brilliant singing from performers linked to the Phoenix Arts Club. They also had magicians mingling throughout the night which was fun to get involved with. Always a good icebreaker for a table full of people who don't know each other!
The key not speaker for the Small Awards was Dr Amit Patel (BlindDad_UK over on Twitter). He is a motivational speaker, accessibility consultant and campaigner for disability rights. His speech had every reaction you could imagine; shock, tears, joy, laughter, you name it we felt it. The journey he has been on and continues to walk every day, with his gorgeous dog Kika, really is something. Please do go give him a follow on Twitter.
In between all the delicious food, the different categories were announced before revealing the winners. We were so nervous! Some award shows let you know ahead of time if you've won but not The Small Awards, it's genuinely a surprise on the night!
We were THRILLED to be announced the winners! It was a shock so we couldn't help but scream at the sound of our name! Rowena insisted we all went up on stage to accept as it was a win for all of us. It was really nice to be up there on stage with such wonderful ladies, being recognised for all of our hard work. A truly memorable moment.
Of course we then spent the rest of the night celebrating and shouting about our win all over social media! Thank you to all of you who congratulated us and reposted our news. Having you all share in our joy was lovely and to be honest, we wouldn't be here without you so THANK YOU!
A huge congratulations to all over the other winners and nominees and of course a huge thank you to The Small Awards for all the work they do and for throwing a most excellent party!