NEWS insideKENT EDITOR TRIUMPHS AT COUNTY BUSINESS AWARDS
Ashford business woman Samantha Ready scooped two awards and a runner-up title in the 2023 Kent Women in Business Awards ( KWIBA ) on Friday March 10 at the Ashford International Hotel .
Samantha Ready , managing director of Sideways Media , Ashford , and creative director at herd ., Canterbury , was awarded the Growth Award , recognising the continued success and expansion post-pandemic of Sideways Media , a full-service media , publishing and marketing agency best known as publishers of Kent ’ s popular and largest lifestyle magazine insideKENT , before being crowned overall Business Woman of The Year 2023 . She was also a runner-up in the PR & Marketing category .
Sam was singled out by the judges for her creativity , resilience and work ethic , and was recognised for driving further growth across the companies she runs since coming runner up in the Growth Award in 2022 .
“ It is an absolute honour and privilege to be awarded Business Woman of the Year , alongside the additional recognition for PR & Marketing and the substantial growth and diversification of Sideways Media over the last three years , and of course to see the hard work of launching our debut restaurant pay off too ,” said Samantha . “ The awards are a fabulous recognition of the hard work and success of a diverse range of women running their own businesses in the county . Sideways is proud to be a family owned , female-forward Kentish company and the winning of contracts to work on behalf of Kent County Council ( to publish A Kentish Ceremony ) and Ashford Borough Council ( for Elwick Place ) amongst other fabulous Kent clients has allowed us to continue to expand across all divisions of the company , as well as employ more creatively wonderful staff , including our new apprentice . It ’ s absolutely true that you ’ re only as good as your teams and we are so proud of the hard work , tenacity and resilience of the teams across both companies and our shared drive for continued success .”
It ’ s the third year that Sam has been recognised at the awards , having been runner up in 2020 and 2022 and adding to the Kent Business Award ( Ashford ) for Family Run Company of the Year awarded to Sideways Media last year .
EKC GROUP EXCELS AT TOP COLLEGE AWARDS
STREET ART TRAIL SET TO TAKE OVER ASHFORD TOWN CENTRE
UNFRAMED : Ashford Mural Festival will see an art trail taking place across Ashford , with many popular hotspots featuring the works of celebrated artists , creatives and students , as well as activities for all the family including workshops , street dance and film screenings available to all visitors .
Artists set to use the Kent town centre as their canvas include the celebrated Mr Doodle AKA Sam Cox , who has created the world ’ s largest doodle mural on the side of the Edinburgh Road car park , along with Alex Chinneck , Andy Welland and Chris Hylton , with award-winning graphic designer Chris Page creating an installation at The Picturehouse cinema on Elwick Road .
Each piece of art will be available to be viewed individually , or visitors can pick up a map and follow the trail around the town to a number of locations including Coachworks , Low Key Tap Room , The Craftship and Picturehouse .
Other local artists and students will also get the chance make their mark on the town centre , including Snowdog artist Danielle Williamson , Tiny Dog Creative based in the Coachworks and students from Ashford College
UNFRAMED – Ashford ’ s inaugural mural festival launched on 31 March 2023 and will run through the Easter holidays with walking tours , a film programme at Picturehouse and family friendly art workshops .
EKC Group has triumphed at the Association of College ’ s Beacon Awards , winning The Edge Award for Excellence in Real World Learning Award and coming runner up in a second , causing celebration among staff , students and local MPs alike .
Ensuring learners get real world examples is crucial to their positive progression into employment . Working collaboratively with stakeholders and local employers , EKC Group – which runs six colleges across East Kent - came up with the idea of turning a mothballed building into The Yarrow , a training hotel that would inspire the hospitality professionals of the future .
Judges reasoned The Yarrow is unrivalled in the world of further education . It ’ s proven an effective tool in creating a talent pipeline for the sector .
Speaking after the group was announced as the winner , its chief executive Graham Razey OBE said : “ Our Broadstairs hotel , The Yarrow , has proven itself as an absolute sector leader , delivering a genuinely inspirational experience for the many students who ’ ve had the opportunity to work there . As a hotel it is in the top 100 ranked in England by travellers on TripAdvisor and is a breeding ground for the future stars of the hospitality industry .
" However , it goes beyond that , also offering up a community facility that ’ s fully embedded itself into its locality , providing jobs within Thanet and bringing tourists into the area . It ’ s truly a testament of the exceptional work by our passionate and committed staff and I am so proud of this win for them .”
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