Spirit of Scotland Award Winners

Published Date: 29 November 2008

By Tim Cornwell

Arts Correspondent

HE MIGHT not yet be a household name, but cellist Peter Gregson, a pioneer in electronic contemporary music, set the tone for a night of surprise winners at the Spirit of Scotland Awards.

"I would like to speak to you about refunds," he told the audience, accepting the Glenfiddich-sponsored trophy for music, having seen off rising stars Glasvegas, and modern folk trio Lau. "I actually voted for KT Tunstall."

The "jamboy" Fraser Doherty, 19, whose products are flying off the shelf, had the same message. "Holy mackerel," he said, after winning the entrepreneur prize against titans of Scottish industry such as Bob Keiller, whose PSN company has created 2,500 jobs world wide.

Round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont was visibly stunned to have seen off competition from tennis star Andy Murray and Olympic hero Chris Hoy to win the sport award.

Hoy did not end up empty handed, winning the biggest trophy, the Top Scot award, at the Scotsman-sponsored event which was held at the Prestonfield House Hotel on Thursday night.

The winners in the eight categories were voted for by the public by phone and internet, from a list of nominees selected by a panel of experts.

Scotsman editor Mike Gilson said the awards reflected "gleaming nuggets of good news, the prime examples of excellence" when newspapers had to report on recession, terrorism, and the fear those events brought.

"I reckon most of the inspirational people we recognise here in the Spirit of Scotland awards have appeared in our columns over the last year or so, so I would like to add my own personal thanks to them on behalf of our readers for helping to lift the gloom."

Presenter Kirsty Wark also paid tribute to those "who surpassed themselves in their field."

The environment prize was picked up by energy campaigner Tanya Ewing, inventor of the Ewgeco, tracking the use of electricity, water and gas. The screen prize went to the Atonement star James McAvoy, squeezing out competition from Brian Cox and Tilda Swinton.

"I'm hugely honoured and really surprised to win this award against such excellent company," McAvoy said, as his sister Joy – also an actress, working on a gangster film in Glasgow – accepted the trophy on his behalf. "I'd like to say he's just the best person in the world," she said.

John Sinclair, of Craigie's Farm Deli and Cafe in South Queensferry, won the award for food. He spoke of his love affair with local produce and revelled in the chance "to tell you all about my favourite tipple, Glenfiddich".

There was laughter as graphic novelist Mark Millar, winner of the writing prize, whose comic book series Wanted became a Hollywood film, thanked stars Angelina Jolie and McAvoy for coming on board a "quality drama".

Asked how he came ahead of AL Kennedy and other writers, he said: "It is probably just a fashion." But he also said he had a big internet fan base, and a "gigantic family back in the west of Scotland".

Mr Gregson, who is based in London but is touring Scotland and the US next year, said he had e-mailed all his friends to rally support.

"In my line of work, winning something like this is a huge opportunity," he said. "Looking them up on YouTube, I'm the only one who hasn't had a couple of million hits on my video."

The Courier 5th Sept 2008

Perth Inventors African mission to inspire women

AN UNASSUMING Perth mum who recently won the British female inventor of the year award shared the stage with the South African deputy president as she addressed 1700 of the worlds most influcential businesswomen.

Remarkably Tanya Ewing - invenotor of an innovative real time energy monitoring device - has spent the last nine years battling a debilitating and life-threatening disease.

However she refused to let potentially fatal Lyme Disease get the better of her and now her "Ewgeco" contraption - which clearly shows how much gas, electricity and water a household or business is using at any point in time - has been labelled the most exciting innovation in years by industry insiders.

The 39-year-old mum says her invention will allow home owners to keep a close eye on utility bills, while also showing in simple terms how practical changes like not leaving a television on standby can save hundreds of pounds over a year.

Tanya, whose illness often leaves her so tired she can barely walk, has already gained a huge amount of influential industry backing.

Indeed, experts confidently predict Ewgeco will "change peoples attitudes to their consumption of gas, water and electricity for ever."

She was invited to address an audience of government ministers and 1700 women from Africa, Europe and South East Asia at the inaugural South African Women Inventors and Innovators Symposium, held at the Gallagher Conference in Johannesburg.

The two-day event was organised by the South African government and the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN), the organisation behind the British female inventor of the year award.

She was invited by GWIIN to represent UK inventors and talked about her experience of taking an invention to the market and the value of intellectual property.

During the event Tanya shared the stage with the South African deputy president Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, who gave the keynote address.

With a serious energy problem in South Africa, there was a special mention of Tanyas Ewgeco energy monitor at the gala dinner attended by President Thabo Mbeki.

"I saw in the women I met a lot of passion and determination to run their own business," Tanya said. "At the end of the symposium the deputy president signed a declaration to commit government support to help women succeed as entrepreneurs. I hope I was also able to inspire them with my message that no matter what your back ground, it is possible to suceed."

Following the event in Johannesburg, Tanya visited Limpopo Province to address an audience of local businesswomen.

Ewgeco will officially be launched in the UK next month.

The Observer Ethical Awards

Two years ago, Tanya Ewing received a 'massive gas bill' for her home in Scotland, and by her own admission felt very stupid. Then she realised it wasn't her fault, it being nigh on impossible to monitor personal energy consumption. The outside meter read in cubic feet but the bill specified kilowatt hours, and to access her electricity meter she had to crouch at an angle and squint into a dark cupboard. She tried 'smart' meters but they weren't clear or smart enough, and so she decided to invent her own.

The wireless Ewgeco clearly displays in real time the amount of electricity, gas and water a home or business is using, how much that costs and how much CO2 it generates. It is effective, simple and has the potential to allow us all to get a grip on energy consumption. Inventor and panellist Trevor Baylis was bowled over not only by the idea but also by Tanya: 'You have this preconceived idea that you have to be a bloke with broken glasses to be an inventor,' he says. 'This super idea proves that's not the case.'

Tanya, meanwhile, is stunned by the positive reaction to her innovation. 'To be honest, I started working on Ewgeco when I was going through IVF,' she says. 'I said to my husband: "Well, one of them will take off."' It seems they both did - she also has a 15-month-old son.

The Daily Record April 2008

Scots mum's energy saving idea wins her inventor's award

Apr 16 2008 By Samantha Booth

Tanya Ewing FULL

TWO years ago,mum Tanya Ewing would never have believed she would one day be named as British Female Inventor of the Year.

Then, she was a former dental nurse and sales executive, who could no longer work because of the debilitating condition Lyme disease and had also just started a three-month cycle of IVF.

She is also dyslexic, with only a handful of O-Levels to her name.

But none of that stopped her when she came up with the idea for a real-time energy monitor.

Now, two years down the line, her innovative creation, known as Ewgeco, has just won her the title of British Female Inventor of the Year.

It all started with a simple spark of inspiration when Tanya and her husband, George, received a particularly large gas bill.

She said: "When the bill arrived one morning, I couldn't believe how expensive it was.

"The amount of gas used on my bill was in cubic metres, which meant nothing to me, so I went out to take a look at the meter. I noticed the gas was kilowatt hours on the meter, which confused me even more.

"It was also a really cold day and, when I got back into the house, it struck me that it would be great to have some kind of simple device to monitor your gas and electricity usage from inside.

"I started trawling through the internet to find something that did just that but there seemed to be nothing available.

"I couldn't really believe it because I thought it was such an obvious idea.

"I contacted the Innovators Counselling and Advisory Service for Scotland and they told me there was nothing like it on the market."

From there, Tanya's idea simply took off.

With the help of ICASS, she went the to E D Technology Support Centre, who were able to tell her the technology was all there to make her invention, it was just a matter of putting it together in a way that had never been done before. Tanya said: "I had never invented anything before. I have never been to university. I have no engineering or industrial design background and I am dyslexic. But I just thought, let's go for it."

Her excitement about the development of her idea was only overshadowed by the news she was pregnant with twins.

Sadly, though, she lost one twin early on in her pregnancy. But despite her own personal heartache, she bravely kept pushing forward with the development.

She said: "I actually saw developing the idea as a distraction from the IVF because it is not the most pleasant of procedures.

"I got encouragement from everyone I met. Nobody questioned why I was inventing something when I was about to be become a mum.

"Of course, it was upsetting to lose one of the twins but, in a way, I looked on it as ablessing because one foetus was always much smaller than the other. I was just happy to still have one baby and he is now a 14-month-old cutie called Coll."

The Ewegeco "talks" wirelessly with utility meters to give clear, simple readings of energy usage on traffic light-style displays.

It is going into production this month and is set to revolutionise how homes and businesses use their gas, water and electricity.

It is little wonder, with increasing fuel costs and a greater emphasis than ever on environmental issues, that Tanya's idea impressed the judges at the British Female Inventor and Innovator of the Year Awards in Cardiff last month.

Tanya said: "When they announced my name as the winner, I started to cry because I was in so much shock.

"I went because I hoped to be encouraged by all the inspirational women who would be there. But I never thought for a moment I would win.

"I want people to be aware of it because I am really into trying to help people cut their utility bills and I believe the Ewgeco can do that.

"After all, I have produced something with the end user in mind because I am an end user myself."

Tanya hopes the Ewgeco will be on the market by the end of the year.