The team behind the Ruddy Good Loyalty Card and Ruddington Village Market has just won the Celebrating Rushcliffe Award for ‘Community Group of the Year’ 2019.
Ruddington Village Centre Partnership (RVCP), which only formed in April 2018, was recognised for galvanising village centre businesses into more initiatives to drive footfall to traders. By October last year they had launched a traders’ Loyalty Card Scheme, promoted with RUDDINGTON.info, followed in February 2019 by a brand new monthly market at The White Horse. They also supported the production of a fun festive video last year called “Twelve Days of Traders” promoting Christmas shopping in Ruddington involving a dozen village businesses and Ruddington Community Choir.
Organised by Rushcliffe Borough Council, and co-promoted by West Bridgford Wire, the annual community accolades celebrate volunteers, businesses, clubs, organisations, environmentalists, sports teams and athletes in the district and the best of its health and wellbeing and food and drink sectors in eleven categories. At last night’s awards ceremony at Becket School, judges said of RVCP: “Their energy and enthusiasm makes Ruddington an even better place to shop.” They beat two other strong contenders, The Friends of Radcliffe Station and Gotham Park Village Project, to pick up the title.
Chair of RVCP, Mike Ader, said: “It’s fantastic for the team and fantastic for the village! I coudn’t be more delighted. It just shows when a great group of people come together they can make things happen. And, by God, have we made things happen in this past year?!”
Village Market organiser Stella Dickie told us: “It was just amazing how everyone supported us from the very first market. Early stall holders had the confidence to put themselves forward, and said they’d be part of it, and to them I’m eternally grateful. We also couldn’t have done it without all the volunteers and all the people in the village coming out to support it.”
RVCP’s Mark Pinks added: “We’re really pleased. We didn’t expect to win at all. It’s great for raising awareness of the market and to get us more widely known. We’ve lots of big plans for next year to just keep on growing.”
Two other Ruddington businesses, The Bottle Top and Quotient Sciences, were both nominated in the ‘Business of The Year’ category but lost out to winners Hanwell Wine Estate in Hickling – who are actually regular stallholders at our Ruddington Village Market!
The monthly market will be back for a festive special on December 7th – but the night before there’s also a ‘Christmas Makers’ Night’ when Ruddington will once again become a unique artisan/craft trail for the evening. You can read all the details >>HERE<<.
