Yesterday was quite a day. I went to Cliveden House for the Country Living Magazine and Balvenie whisky “Artisan of the Year” awards and was very pleased and more than a little surprised to be named their “Artisan of the Year”. Cliveden is very grand, I wished I had parked my van in the gap in the middle here.
Susy Smith Editor of Country Living and the Balvenie folk introducing the awards.
Expectant craftsfolk all feeling a little out of place in the grand surroundings, the day before we were all in our workshops.
My friend Doug Joiner getting the commended award for his work setting up the Horse Loggers Association and training apprentices.
And afterwards there was lots of very special whisky to try but all I could do was sniff and sip as I had to drive home.
I did come home with a nice cheque and a very special £350 bottle of my own though. There is a feature in the November issue of Country Living which is out any day now.
I don’t know if it will result in a flood of orders. I have very low stocks of bowls at the moment and have just had two orders for building oak bridges which will keep me busy all winter but hopefully it will bring more publicity to the Heritage Crafts Association too.
Congratulations, Robin! A well-deserved honor.Bob
Congratulation! Judging from what I've seen on this blog, its well deserved. And Balvenie — mmm… nice…
Well done Robin, enjoy your whiskey
Fantastic, Robin! So glad to hear it. You deserve the acclaim.
Great result Robin, hope it helps you spread the word :o)
Congrats Robin! Well deserved!
Well done Robin – really well deserved.
Congratulations pity you could partake in the whisky
Robin, this is the first time I have felt like I should leave a message. I have been following your Blog for a while and would like to tell you that you inspire me frequently. I really like the work you do. The fences and gate are great. I took a drive and was lamenting the demise of the split rail fences in my neighbourhood and thought of your efforts. I could go on but I'm out of space… Congratulations.
Fantastic news. Congratulations and don't drink it all at once.
Congratulations Robin! I now look forward to receiving the latest Country Living even more. Wife and I had the (expensive) luxury of staying in the Asquith Suite at Cliveden earlier this year and it was a wonderful experience. It was kinda fun parking my cr@ppy old car between the Bentleys.Enjoy the Balvenie, you deserve it!
Congratulations indeed! A most worthy accolade.
Brasvissimo, Robin. Well deserved indeed — not just the craft but the teaching and sharing.
Congratulations Robin….you definitely deserve it!
Well done, Robin, that's fantastic news
Great news, of course I knew you win, easy to say after the event.