James Dunbar Awarded for Outstanding Economic Contribution
Leading social enterprise New Start Highland chief executive James Dunbar, was crowned the overall winner at the Prosper Highlands and Islands Business Excellence Awards last night, with the coveted ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Local Economy’ accolade.
In a room with hundreds of the region’s business leaders, James thanked his team, without whom, he said, “he would just be a frustrated bundle of ideas”.
Commenting on his lifetime achievement award win, he said:
“This is an immense honour and I am incredibly proud of what New Start Highland has achieved in the past 26 years. What started as one thought, to help people in times of crisis, has grown into a thriving organisation with a multi-million-pound turnover that supports thousands of people a year. In the past year alone we’ve helped over 800 people into employment, and it is creating new starts like this that motivates me the most.
“We are on the brink of a very exciting chapter as we expand and grow at a faster rate than ever before. The needs of our community continue to increase, and every day we’re committed to finding new ways to meet them together with our partners across the public and private sectors.”
Eleanor Neilson, chair of New Start Highland’s Board, said:
“I am really proud James has been recognised for this award, it is so well deserved. He’s spent over two decades building an organisation that creates profound and meaningful life change for hundreds of people very year. His ability to see community need and respond, with compassion, innovation and determination is quite exceptional.
“His empathetic nature, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit is a rare combination that has ensured he creates lasting social impact while building a financially resilient organisation. His commitment to ensuring the Highlands is a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive is apparent in his work every day, and along with the rest of our Board, I offer him our wholehearted congratulations.”
New Start Highland was the first social enterprise in Scotland to launch a dedicated space specifically for Training and Reuse. Its Village in Carsegate Road, Inverness is home to ILM Highland, Inverness Tool Library, two pre-loved retail outlets, a bike repair and refurbishment hut, The Yard café and the Highland Hospitality and Cookery training kitchen. It started as a small charity reliant 100% on grants, and is now increasingly less reliant on funding, with 85% of income a result of trading and services.