PACE Awards 2014: winners announced

24-Mar-2014 - Last updated on 24-Mar-2014 at 12:48 GMT

Late master at Worshipful Company of Cooks Bev Puxley recieves his Lifetime Achievement Award from national chair of PACE Geoff Booth and national business development manager at Lifetime Awarding Lisa Hibbard

The Professional Association for Catering Education (PACE) awards for outstanding commitments to hospitality training took place last week, with special focus on the Lifetime Achievement and National Chairman’s awards.

The awards ceremony took place on the evening of 13 March at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham.

The Lifetime Achievement award went to Bev Puxley, late master at Worshipful Company of Cooks, for his contribution to enhancing catering education in the UK and his involvement in the PACE community.

The National Chairman’s award was presented to Willie McCurrach from City of Glasgow College and acknowledged his leadership and dedication at the head of Scotland’s catering education sector.

Training in a changing environment

National Chair of PACE Geoff Booth said: “In an increasingly challenging environment, we have witnessed exceptional examples of the talented individuals and teams that make up the education sector. We have seen their ability to recruit learners of all ages and deliver innovative and engaging programmes of skills development.

“Above everything else, they are completely focussed and dedicated to ensuring their students receive the best education and training possible. The PACE Awards have revealed numerous examples of creativity and ingenuity that help prepare students for the demands of a career in the hospitality industry. It is also great to see educators and employers working closely together to achieve their common goals.

“I congratulate all of this year’s worthy winners. They are an inspiration to us all and continue to illustrate the great work in training and education that is taking place across the UK.”

The 2014 PACE Awards winners:

Partnership with Industry Award

University College Birmingham and Mitchells & Butlers Partnership.

Best Chef Lecturer Award

Lee Hyatt, Accrington & Rossendale College

Best Hospitality Lecturer Award

Philip Tomlinson, New College Nottingham

Best Restaurant Service Lecturer

Sam Watkins, Gloucestershire College

Award for Environmental Sustainability

Miranda Godfrey, Westminster Kingsway College

Lifetime Achievement Award