A glittering celebration at the Royal Armouries in Leeds unveiled seven winners from our region's business community all of whom have invested creatively in the arts.

Nicola Forsdike, of the York-based Halcrow Group, was among the winners in the third Arts & Business Yorkshire Awards for arts/business partnerships, for her work with Whitby Musicport.

Through The Skills Bank professional development programme, Nicola helped the organisation to develop its marketing and enhance the success of the annual Whitby World Music Festival.

For this she won Skills Adviser Of The Year prize, sponsored by IT Solutions Ltd.

The Arts & Business Yorkshire Awards, presented in association with Skipton Building Society, recognise partnerships between arts organisations and businesses which are creative, innovative and mutually beneficial.

The evening included performances by international soprano Lynne Dawson, the North of England Chamber Orchestra and the York-based Shepherd Group Brass Band.

Updated: 11:10 Monday, November 15, 2004