Revealed: Winners from first ever Fife Women Rock awards

The first ever event was a sell-out success as it celebrated the inspiring work of women in business and the community.

The awards were created by Cara Forrester and Annie Crow who set out to prove that Fife women rock.

They were inundated with over 1500 nominations across just six categories, and each one told a positive, uplifting story.

The categories set the positive tone of the event - there was a queen of kindness, and one for most caring business - while the atmosphere on the night was simply fantastic.

Cara, editor of the Queendom 0f Fife website, said: “It really was a special evening, and I was honoured to be able to celebrate these amazing women who are all doing fantastic work in business and the local community.”

She co-hosted the night with Annie, who runs the Confidence With Annie group, and welcomed each winner to the stage to receive their specially created awards.

The judges were Colin Wallace, manager of The Dining Rooms; Jo King, busin ess growth expert from Bring To The Party; Lorraine Bown, financial advisor; and Allan Crow, editor of the Fife Free Press.

And the winners were:

New Business of The Year:

Lauren Anderson

Based in Dalgety Bay, Lauren launched her new business, Therapies@Room34, while on maternity leave.

She specialises in treatments ranging from massage to waxing to manicures, and launched her own business on the back of a decade in the industry.

Young Businesswoman of the Year: Courtney Anderson

Aged just 20, Courtney is co-owner of Kirkcaldy-based, Kerry Photography.

What makes her unique is the service she offers - photoshoots to families who have a child with life-limiting conditions, thereby ensuring they have precious memories captured for ever.

Kerry is also involved in the Rainbow of Hope project which unveils a giant mural in the Mercat Shopping Centre in Kirkcaldy this weekend.

It will feature a mosaic of images of brothers and sisters of families who have experienced infant loss, stillbirth, miscarriage.

Caring Business of the Year: Laura Bennett.

A tattoo artist, Laura runs Laura Bennett Permanent Cosmetics, and was honoured for the inspiring work she does for free with women who have experienced breast cancer. As part of their journey of recovery, Laura meets with people who have undergone a mastectomy to tattoo the aerola and nipples to help transform how they feel about themselves post-surgery.

Businesswoman of the Year: Jean Young.

Jean bought her wedding shoes at Uptown Girl in Cowdenbeath - now she owns the business.

She took over the long-established business and put her own stamp on it. She is also part of a steering group which aims to transform the town’s High Street.

Queen of Kindness:

Mandy Henderson

A stalwart of Linton Lane Centre, Mandy turns no-one away and supports the community through a vast range of ideas and events – from emotional support to providing clothing, baby equipment and a foodbank.

Volunteer of the Year:

Amy Gannon

Amy is a nurse and clinical educator. She also devotes her spare time to helping in the community, chairing Fife Breastfeeding Cafe. She is now an advisor who offers support via an online group and works with the national helpline.

Woman of the Year:

Lynsey Ramsay.

Please see our feature on Lynsey HERE https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/how-lynsey-found-hope-in-the-depths-of-grief-1-5007482