Stirling’s independent business owners were totally celebrated and totally rewarded at the 2025 business awards shindig on March 6. The Go Forth Stirling BID-organised event, held at the fancy Albert Halls, revealed the winners of 12 categories. These categories were based on, like, more than 26,000 public votes.
The ceremony was all about highlighting the achievements of awesome individuals and super cool business owners and their teams. One of the big winners was Dr. Murray Cook, a famous archaeologist who snagged the Outstanding Contribution to Stirling Award for all his work on digging up old stuff, leading walks, and giving talks to make people more aware of Stirling’s rad history and landscape.
Professor Leigh Sparks also got some love at the awards and was given the first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award for being a total boss in the business community. As a Retail Studies Professor at the University of Stirling and Chair of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, his efforts in shaping national retail strategies were recognized.
The event was hosted by Danielle McRorie-Smith, who is the project director of Go Forth Stirling BID. She was all like, “It was just awesome to see Dr. Cook and Professor Sparks getting the props they deserve for the important work they’ve been doing for, like, forever in their respective fields and for being so supportive of Stirling’s business community.”
Transition Stirling, which is an environmental charity, totally won the Charity of the Year Award for all their cool projects focused on community and sustainability. The Thistles sponsored the award, and the center director Gary Turnbull was super stoked to support a category that is close to their hearts because of their ‘ongoing community charitable outreach program’.
Mr. Turnbull said: “Huge congrats to Transition Stirling for totally owning it and to all the other finalists who are making a real impact on Stirling and the wider community.”
Meanwhile, CodeBase Stirling was, like, given the Business Support Services of the Year Award for the second year in a row. Mike Barclay, who is the director of business support at STEP Scotland, was all about congratulating CodeBase and all the other businesses who were shortlisted for their hard work, resilience, and innovation.
He was all like, “At STEP, we’re super passionate about supporting local businesses. Through our awesome collaboration with the BID team, we make sure businesses in the city center have the support they need to thrive. That’s why we’re totally proud to sponsor the Business Support Services category at this year’s Stirling Business Awards.”
Other winners of the night included Europa Music for Retailer of the Year, Fletcher’s for Restaurant of the Year, and Erol’s Tailor Shop for Service-Led Business of the Year. The full list of winners can be found on the Go Forth Stirling BID website.
The event was attended by around 150 guests from Stirling’s business and civic communities, social enterprise, and charitable sector. Guests were entertained by DJs from Central FM and a performance from the bagpipe pop band The Rollin Drones.
Ms. McRorie-Smith added: “We had such a blast at the Albert Halls, and it was awesome to see so many business owners and employees from Stirling’s diverse independent scene coming together to party. We were thrilled to host another successful evening that showcased Stirling’s awesome business owners. Huge congrats to all the winners and finalists, and big thanks to our amazing sponsors.”
