A number of local businesses picked up prestigious awards at this year’s Ulster Tatler Awards.
Paolina Hawthorne of Diversity NI was awarded Businesswoman of the Year while Wayne Lyons of Soaks Bathrooms achieved Businessman of the Year at the awards which honour local personalities, celebrities and businesses throughout Northern Ireland.
Also awarded was Leighann Rea Hairdressing who picked up Hairdressing Salon of the Year, and Beauty Culture who were awarded Beauty Salon of the Year.
EDO restaurant of Upper Queen Street, Belfast was presented with the award for Restaurant of the Year and Grand Central Hotel won Hotel of the Year.
Rachel McCartan and Andy Malone also picked up the best dressed on the night award for their style efforts.
Other big winners on the night included World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea, who was named Sportsperson of the Year in a hotly-contested category that saw him compete against record-breaking athlete Ciara Mageean, football hero Aaron Hughes and rugby stars Jacob Stockdale and Rory Best for the coveted title.
Ulster and Ireland rugby legend Andrew Trimble was awarded The Bank of Ireland Special Merit Award on the night for his services to rugby for both teams. This award has been previously awarded to former Ulster Rugby coach Brian McLaughlin, the Northern Ireland football team and Ulster Rugby legends Ruan Piennaar and Tommy Bowe.
The Celebrity of the Year award was awarded to Bangor-born Snow Patrol star Gary Lightbody, frontman of one of the biggest bands in the world who have graced the music scene for 25 years and recently announced another UK tour.
The evening wasn’t short of ‘glitz and glamour’ as other celebrities attended the evening including International football hero Gerry Armstrong, Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, well-known BBC weatherman Barra Best and Paddy Raff aka ‘Nigel’ who also stepped out to celebrate at the venue.
“The difficulty in choosing just one deserved winner seems to become greater every year and that speaks volumes on just how high the standard is across the province. Every single category was bursting with worthy nominees,” said Ulster Tatler editor Chris Sherry.
“I want to extend huge congratulations to the winners from each category and all those shortlisted, who should all be extremely proud of what they have achieved within their businesses throughout the last year. I also want to personally thank everyone for their support.
“This year we celebrated the twelfth year of the Ulster Tatler Awards and the event was a complete sell-out in the spectacular new venue so really we couldn’t have asked for more. The night was a massive success,” added Chris.
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