As the countdown to The Gifts Awards begins (Thursday 11 May), the unique, fabulous, colourful tickets, designed by Crumble & Core, will be winging their way to guests this week, plopping through letterboxes up and down the UK.
Revealing the concept behind the design, Crumble & Core’s co-founder Lou Pike explains: “The Gift Awards are about celebrating the very best of UK gifting products and retailers, and as the Awards kick off with a cocktail reception, we chose a vibrant cocktail of reds, yellows and greens which really ‘pop’ on the duck egg blue background.” Adds Lou: “The earrings top off the cocktail with extra sparkle making them a lovely surprise gift for the recipient.”
The design was created by another Crumble & Core co-founder, watercolour artist Jilly Mercer Pont, a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), who was taught to paint by her dad. “Her passion for painting led her to art school,” continues Lou. “After leaving, she worked for various publishing houses as a freelance artist creating a large portfolio of work.”
Crumble & Core’s third co-founder is Lucy Rigby, who, before joining Crumble & Core, had been a successful entrepreneur and retailer for 25 years – she owned The Banana Tree in Eastbourne – while raising her two children.
“I traded in a ten year career in the City to become a full time mum, raising a family of four, before we came together to start Crumble & Core which began its life with a cup of tea around the kitchen table,” explains Lou. “Since then we have grown, and now run our business from a beautiful Oast house on a farm in the stunning East Sussex countryside, with our products sold extensively in the UK as well as in the Netherlands, Japan, Australia and North America. The kitchen table came with us, where Jilly still sits and creates our watercolour world.”
So what’s in the pipeline for Crumble & Core this year? “We’re looking to grow our business through both new products as well as through developing a licensing programme,” states Lou. “We’ve started working with Susan Bolsover at Lightbulb Licensing to help us do this, starting by focusing on products that complement our core range. For PG Live, the focus is on finding partners in the stationery and paper products area before branching out into dining and homewares.”
Continues Lou: “To create a fresh new look that we feel will work on licensed product, we’ve developed a style guide with the first capsule focusing on our popular floral designs, especially the apple blossom, which is synonymous with the Crumble & Core brand.
“We will also be launching a new range of greeting cards, jewellery cards and candles using the style guide which we hope will also help to inspire our licensing partners.”
For the second consecutive year, and uniting the gift industry, The Greats Awards have joined forces with The Giftware Association’s Gift of the Year (GOTY) awards, with all winners – both The Greats and the GOTY – being revealed at a fabulous black tie awards event, to be held at the glittering Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Thursday 11 May.
To find out more about sponsorship opportunities for The Greats and The Gift Of The Year Awards, contact Ali Farrell (e: alisonf@max-publishing.co.uk; mob: 07872 113635); Ian Hyder (e: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk mob: 07525 634 306); Rob Willis (robw@max-publishing.co.uk mob: 07792 016832); Warren Lomax (e: warren@max-publishing.co.uk; mob: 07977 572086). Visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk or www.thegiftawards.com
Tickets to the awards can be booked quickly and securely by visiting www.max-tickets.net or by contacting awards organiser Clare Hollick at clare@createvents.co.uk (tel: 01183 340085).
Tickets cost £215 (+VAT) and tables of 10 and 12 are available. Visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk or www.thegiftawards.com
First launched in 2003, The Greats Gift Retailer Awards are owned and organised by Max Publishing and Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide.
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Top: Designed and produced by Crumble & Core, the official earring card ticket to The Greats Awards.
