On the evening of Wednesday 10th November 2021, Shiraz Master, managing director of Blackburn-based Simply Doughnuts Limited, attended a royal reception at Windsor Castle, hosted by HRH The Prince of Wales.
The event took place to recognise the winners of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2020 and 2021. Simply Doughnuts won last year under the category of Innovation.
The evening was also attended by the Princess Royal, the Countess of Wessex, the Duke of Kent, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Alexandra.
In more usual times, the reception for the 2020 winners would have taken place the same year but, given the risks associated with the Covid pandemic, the event was deferred until 2021. Consequently, the evening was attended by winners from both years.
“It was a real privilege to attend,” said Shiraz. “It was, of course, an honour to meet and talk to HRH The Prince of Wales, and in such impressive surroundings. It was also really good to get a chance to meet other award winners and learn how the title has changed their businesses.
“For us, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise has certainly opened many doors and helped us to display a credibility that is important to so many of our clients. Winning was a pivotal point in the company’s development, and the Awards event was a great opportunity to celebrate and to reflect on that.”