The company has gone from strength to strength in the three years since it started providing day trips out to St Kilda. Demand has been so high that they have recently purchased a new larger boat to accommodate more passengers for this once in lifetime experience.

The Who Cares Wins awards ceremony was held to celebrate the very best in the service sector throughout the Outer Hebrides and recognise the businesses who have achieved Hospitality Assured in the past year.

The awards, divided into five categories: Responsible Business; Taste of the Hebrides; Best Marketing Initiative; Best Employer; and Best Overall Customer Experience; were presented by James Martin of Inverness Leisure at a formal awards ceremony held at the Dark Island Hotel in Benbecula.

Sweeny Codd from Ness came out top in the Responsible Business category. This is another achievement for the fish and chip shop that was also nominated last year. They have been working hard to evolve their product and now serve suppers in recycled packaging, recycle oil into biofuel and source much of their ingredients locally.

Salar Flaky Smoked Salmon in South Uist was presented with the award for the Taste of the Hebrides category for consistently delivering a high quality product and, as a result, enjoy high levels of repeat business.

In the Best Employer category, An Lanntair, Stornoway, won the award. The arts centre recently achieved both Investors in People and Hospitality Assured accreditations.

The award for the Best Marketing Initiative went to Skoon Art Café in Harris, where resident artists display their work and this, coupled with the cosy atmosphere and home baking, makes customers come back time and time again.

A combination of the Who Cares Wins feedback over the past year and self nomination forms were used to select the short listed and winning businesses that demonstrate excellence in the service sector.