The success of the Centenary TT races has been recognised at ‘The Isle of Man Newspapers Freedom to Flourish Awards for Excellence’, which was held at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, on December 9th.

The organising team behind the TT was declared the winner of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Award for Teamwork in recognition for their work in the promotion and management of the 2007 Centenary TT races.

The second award for the TT went to Roger Hurst, recently appointed as Chief Marshal at the 2008 TT races, who won The Conister Trust Award for Volunteer of the Year. Roger is responsible for managing the marshals for the TT Races.

Adrian Earnshaw, MHK, Minister for Tourism and Leisure, Isle of Man Government, commented:

“As promoters of the TT races I’m delighted the team that worked on the Centenary TT have received recognition. These awards are a reflection of the work everyone associated with the TT put in this year to make it such a success.

He continued by saying

“The marshals are a vital part of the TT Races and as Chairman and Chief Marshal during the TT Roger was instrumental in ensuring that the marshalling ran smoothly."

John McGuinness, absolute TT lap record holder and 13 time winner, who collected the award on behalf of the DTL commented:

“Everyone only sees the riders and the races but these awards reflect the huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to make the TT so successful.”

The annual awards are open to businesses of any size and range and recognise excellence across a wide range of areas. There are 12 company and four individual awards. Judging criteria included excellent performance, motivated employees, innovation, satisfied customers, ethical standards and adherence to Freedom to Flourish values.