Beyond the Finish Line scoops two Design Impact Awards

A project that helped young entrepreneurs start their own social enterprises and aimed to revive Glasgow’s shopping streets won two award at the Design Impact Awards, held at The Lighthouse in Glasgow.

Co-ordinated jointly by Firstport, the social enterprise start-up agency, and Icecream Architecture, Beyond the Finish Line used the momentum of the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the imagination of Glasgow’s young people to find social enterprise solutions to the issue of high street and town centre decline.

The poroject, which was part of the Glasgow 2014 legacy, picked up both the judges award and the public award.

Karen McGregor, chief executive of Firstport said: “We are absolutely delighted that Beyond the Finish Line has won this prestigious award.

“To win not only the judges but the public award too is a fantastic accolade for our design partner Icecream Architecture. Design played a very important part in delivering Beyond the Finish Line. We needed to attract the right age group, create a space that the young people felt ownership of and develop a brand that they were proud to be associated with.”

The project has produced a variety of exciting initiatives including a youth culture magazine, an upcycling enterprise, an illustration company, confidence workshops for young mothers and a community cinema.

Sarah Frood, creative director of Icecream Architecture, added: “We've immersed ourselves in the Beyond The Finish Line project over the past 12 months, so receiving these awards is great recognition and a massive achievement for us, as a small organisation.

“The young people involved have shown dedicated innovation throughout and the social impact of their businesses will continue long into the future."

The project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund.