A Royal Adventure

Celebrating Craftsmanship, Community and a Royal Invitation

For the past three years, The Workshop Aberfeldy has had the honour of designing and manufacturing the prestigious trophies presented to recipients of the King's Awards for Enterprise. There are four categories for awards; Innovation, International Trade, Sustainability and Promoting Opportunities. Businesses can nominate themselves and must demonstrate excellence in their field while meeting a strict set of criteria, making the awards a significant achievement.

The trophies were designed and handcrafted in our workshop in Aberfeldy. Made from sustainably sourced oak with a glass insert, every award has been carefully engraved, assembled and finished by our team of trainees, volunteers and staff. Each year we have made around 200 trophies, which has generated an amazing opportunity for our trainees to experience every part of the process.

We purchase rough-sawn oak which is planed down to size on site. This is set up on our CNC machine to be cut into the circular trophy shape. Each edge is then sanded before being oiled to give it a smooth and satisfying finish. We buy the glass from a local company cut to size, this is engraved with the Kings Award for Enterprise emblem on our laser machines, along with a gold plaque for the front. This is all then carefully assembled, polished, boxed up and sent out in batches across the UK.

As the maker of the trophies, we were invited to attend the recipients' reception at St James's Palace. Chairperson, Nicky McDiarmid, and Operations Manager, Hazel Donaldson, made the trip south to attend the Royal Reception. We were lucky enough to speak to His Majesty King Charles III directly and share the story of our workshop, our sustainable approach and the opportunities we create for young people through our work.

We have had links to royalty in the past, Prince Edward visited The Workshop in 2021 while in the area. We were also an official supplier of The Queen’s Green Canopy Plaques- we produced hundreds of wooden, acrylic and steel engraved plaques that celebrated the planting of trees across the UK for The Queen’s Jubilee Celebration.

We are incredibly grateful to have been awarded the contract for the Kings Award for Enterprise, which demonstrates the quality of work that can be achieved by a small, rural social enterprise. Being invited to St James's Palace and meeting His Majesty was a proud moment for everyone connected with The Workshop Aberfeldy- a fantastic reflection of the dedication and craftsmanship of our team.