PG’s regular columnist David Robertson, md of Scottish independent card and gift shop business JP Pozzi/Bijou has had an incredible week.
In the last few days he has been proclaimed the official High Street Hero of Scotland in the Great British High Street Awards (www.pgbuzz.net/david-robertson-up-for-a-uk-high-st-hero-award/), been featured in the Daily Mirror, bumped into football icon Jamie Redknapp, plus, best of all, came face to face with his all time hero, Bruce Springsteen.
David was among the winners of the High Street Hero Awards, and was praised by the Daily Mirror, who together with Visa, backed the competition. He featured in last Saturday’s edition (November 17) of the newspaper, with the coverage showing David in his shop.
“David helped his parents turn their newsagent’s into a gift shop,” explained the newspaper. “Then nine years ago, he and his mum bought a former nightclub and converted it into a shop, café and beauty salon. He also helped to set up the local Business Improvement District – BID – which transformed a street in Elgin where half the shops stood empty in 2008.”
Just prior to the lavish awards event, David had taken a rare holiday (to New York) during which he met his own personal superhero Bruce Springsteen – and then just after leaving the awards ceremony (held in Lancaster House in London’s St James’s), bumped into footballing celeb Jamie Redknapp who was very happy to pose in a selfie with the plucky Scot.
For David though, after all these heady happenings it was “meeting Boss that tops it all!” referring to his one-to-one with Bruce Springsteen following a concert in the Big Apple.
And it was the photo of David with Jamie Redknapp that trounced the image of him with his hard earned trophy, according to ‘likes’ on his social media channels.
“I had 306 likes for the Jamie photo and 281 for the trophy!”
With the US trip precluding David from submitting a column for the imminent December edition of Progressive Greetings, here he maintains his writing skills with a personal account of how he felt winning the top High Street Hero award…
“It was a really strange feeling. While it was fantastic for me to be put forward by the council/group for my work I really believe that it was a team effort. The BID has a board of 14 directors most of whom had been there from the beginning with me. Our original Chairman passed away and I took on the role as I felt it important that there was some continuity. Somehow or another over 10 years, lots of meetings and lots of projects grew from the BID. We nurtured a good relationship with our Councillors and have fought many battles, large and small.
The fact that the BID was classed as private funds meant we could access all kinds of money to allow the regeneration of the buildings and the history trail. These are projects with a visible difference and will continue to put the town on the map. Some would say legacy projects.
Elgin has been the catalyst that has now inspired the beginning of a Moray-wide tourism bid – which is one of only a handful in the UK.
What pleased me most is that we have encouraged and supported lots of new people into business, have helped others with problems and actually seen lots of people – from retailers to the public – prepared to put their heads above the parapet for what they believe in.
The BID was and still is ‘a marmite thing’ with some believing that the council should do it or that the magic fairies should fly in. I take a much more practical approach and believe that you have to make things happen. Businesses cannot be islands, we need others around us to attract people and to make the streets and towns thrive not simply survive.
My two passion projects of young enterprise and male mental health were mentioned as some of the reasons that the judges picked me and I took great satisfaction that they liked what I have tried to do for these causes.
I am honored to be recognised, but in truth my success is really down to the drive and ambition that I see in my parents. It was my mum who said to me before the BID was even formed that I should get involved and without them this award or any of the recognition I have ever had would not be possible.”
After his ‘PG holiday’ for the December edition, David will be resuming his regular column in the January 2019 edition.
Top: David Robertson with The Boss, aka Bruce Springsteen in NY.
