All About Barrhead Awards 2025

On Friday 28th March, we welcomed 220 guests to the beautiful Dalmeny Park House Hotel for the sixth annual All About Barrhead Awards – and what a night it was!  With the room filled with brilliant local businesses, inspiring individuals, community groups, and proud supporters, the evening was a heartfelt celebration of the people who go above and beyond to make Barrhead a better place.

The awards, which were made possible thanks to the generous support of our local sponsors, recognised excellence across a range of categories. Sponsors included East Renfrewshire Council, East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, MM Legal Mackinley & Suttie, Barrhead Young Traders Market, F&M Hairdressing, and L’Arco.

The biggest honour of the night, the Barrhead Star Award, went to Teresa O’Hara, whose incredible 26 years of service with East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau has made a lasting impact on the lives of so many local people. Runner-up Annmarie Strain was recognised for her brilliant work with In Cahootz drama club, which has brought confidence and creativity to countless young performers in our town.

Asda was crowned National Business of the Year, with Tesco taking the runner-up spot. L’Arco, known for their fantastic food and viral TikToks, took home Independent Business of the Year, with a well-deserved runner-up place for the ever-popular Cross Stobs Inn, celebrated for its warm hospitality.

In the Customer Excellence category, Giftscene impressed the judges with its outstanding service and beautiful gift range. Central Café secured the runner-up place for its loyal customer following and friendly atmosphere.

The Employee of the Year award went to Carla Ferguson for her dedication and professionalism, with Colette Gallagher taking runner-up for her positivity and commitment.

One of the most memorable moments of the evening came during the presentation of Young Person of the Year to 9-year-old Mikey Williams. After being too shy to speak at first, Mikey suddenly grabbed the microphone and confidently declared, “Thank you, I would just like it if everyone could shout ‘pumpkin’ for no reason!”  Without missing a beat, our host for the evening, STV presenter Laura Boyd, counted down from three – and all 220 guests joined in, yelling “pumpkin” together and bursting into laughter. It was a joyful moment that perfectly captured the spirit of the night. Taylor McMillan was named runner-up in this category for her inspiring attitude and community involvement.

Walking Dead Maws, a group of local women supporting one another through walking, fitness, and friendship, picked up the Impact in the Community award, with East Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau as runner-up.  The Initiative of the Year award went to Brighter Futures Barrhead, who support families and individuals across the town with practical help and advice. Walking Dead Maws were once again recognised as runner-up.

A particularly touching part of the evening was the presentation of the Kevin Paul Finnell Memorial Award, given to someone with a long-standing record of selfless service to Barrhead. This year’s recipient was Matthew Lynch, a founding member of the All About Barrhead board and a tireless champion for our town through his work at McKinley & Suttie.

Our BID Manager, Jenny Dunlop, summed up the evening perfectly:  “It was another fantastic celebration of the incredible businesses, volunteers, and community champions who give so much to Barrhead. Every person and organisation shortlisted should feel incredibly proud of their impact.”

Nominations were open to the public, and each finalist was carefully selected by an independent panel with no links to Barrhead. Judging was carried out anonymously to ensure complete fairness.  Nominations for the 2026 Awards will open in late December 2025, and we can’t wait to see who the community puts forward next year!