Yorkshire Business Insider has included Bethany in their 42 inspirational Yorkshire business leaders under the age of 42. She has been featured among other amazing business leaders in their Feb and March editions of Yorkshire Business Insider and attended an awards dinner in April.
Experience Heritage finalist in FSB awards 2023
We’re excited to again be named finalists in the Federation of Small Businesses’ Awards for Yorkshire & Humber 2023 under Self-Employed/Freelancer of the Year!
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 24 February in Leeds.
To learn more about the event and to check out all the great businesses we’ve been nominated along-side, check out the FSB site.
Experience Heritage Intern wins U of York Intern of the Year Award
Published by XR Stories
Further success for XR Stories interns
Ashley Loo, an XR Stories funded intern, won the University of York Student Intern of the Year award at a celebration at Heslington Hall.
Ashley, an Interactive Media student, received the award at a special event held by the Student Internship Bureau, which celebrates the achievements of University of York interns and the opportunities provided by local businesses. Ashley impressed the judging panel with her work as a UX designer with Experience Heritage, researching accessibility issues and redesigning screens for a new Heritage Trail app commissioned by the National Paralympic Heritage Trust (NPHT).
Bethany Watrous, founder and CEO at Experience Heritage, said, “I’m so proud of Ashley – she’s so deserving of this award! We adored having her as part of our team and she was a great help to the development of our product. Her work researching and designing UX features ensured that our current as well as future projects will be more accessible to more people.”
Ashley said, “As the UX designer on this project, my aim was to design a system that brought comfort to people with accessibility needs – creating multiple designs and testing them to gain real-time feedback from potential users. This has supported me in constructing customisable screens that provide enjoyable experiences for people with visual impairments or mobility difficulties.”
Another University of York student, Elliot Mann, was awarded runner up Intern of the Year for his work as a creative technician under the XR Stories internship programme.
Published on 12 December 2022
Experience Heritage named "Best Digital Heritage & Research Company - Northern England"
We are excited to announce that Experience Heritage has won the title of “Best Digital Heritage & Research Company - Norther England” in SME News’ UK Enterprise Awards for 2022. The announcement was made in a press release by SME News.
“Now in its sixth year, the SME UK Enterprise Awards continues to recognise SMEs of all sizes who are endeavouring to bettering business in their industries. Whether it’s by nourishing rich internal cultures to promote employee satisfaction, by offering next-level customer service, or through an enduring dedication to innovative products – British SMEs are truly the lifeblood of the country’s economy and business landscape.”
Our award listing can be found here.
Director named "Most Influential Digital Media & Heritage Research Businesswoman 2022"
We are excited to announce that Director Bethany Watrous has been named "Most Influential Digital Media & Heritage Research Businesswoman 2022" by Acquisition International Magazine in their Influential Businesswoman Awards.
Visit here for the full award listing.
FSB unveils finalists of its Yorkshire and Humber 2022 awards
This article was written by Nadia Jefferson-Brown of The York Press and published on their website on 26 January 2022
JUDGES have revealed the finalists who have made the cut in prestigious awards showcasing business success stories in our region.
Entries have closed for the Federation of Small Businesses' Yorkshire and The Humber 2022 awards, with the shortlist including a host of entrepreneurs in York.
The FSB will announce the winners at a ceremony at the Principal Hotel, York, on Friday, February 25.
At the 2020 Awards, judges crowned 12 businesses of different shapes and sizes from across various sectors of the economy, from self-employed businesses to established larger businesses with up to 250 employees.
A spokesman said: "The standard was fantastic and this year we hope to celebrate even more great businesses."
Carolyn Frank, FSB development manager for York and North Yorkshire, said: “We are so excited to welcome all our finalists and guests together next to month at The Principal.
"This will be a great celebration of the resilience and success of the small business community and one of our first large-scale face to face events for a long time.
"Everyone who entered was a winner, that’s absolutely no cliché this year. In a tremendously difficult trading period, the self-employed have dug in and achieved against all odds and are leading the economic recovery.”
She added: "Our finalists reflect our wide variety of members from sole traders to high-growth and international business and the 12 categories reflect this.
"Winners in York will go on to represent Yorkshire & The Humber in our prestigious national final, flying the flag for our region against the rest of the UK and we are proud of each and every one of them already."
Tracey and Georgia Rae, the mother and daughter duo who launched Rae & Rae Independent Opticians, in Bishopthorpe Road, York, during the pandemic, are contenders in the micro business category.
The Potions Cauldron Ltd, which has just opened the Potions Express at York Railway Station, in addition to its shop in Shambles and Hole in Wand attraction in Coppergate, is in the running for the high growth business title.
Contenders for the self-employed/ sole trader title include York-based Experience Heritage, which brings history to life through innovative digital storytelling; and Little Seed Group, a marketing, PR and social media agency, also based in the city.
Also in the running is Mr B Hospitality, set up by Philip Bolson, former general manager of The Grand, York, to help individuals, SMEs, organisations and developers achieve goals, from starting a business to developing in confidence; along with Sharmini's Inspirational Indian Cuisine, a York-based cookery school set up by Sharmini Thomas.
Experience Heritage finalist in FSB awards
We are thrilled to be named finalists in the Federation of Small Businesses’ Awards for Yorkshire & Humber 2022! We’ve been nominated under the category of Self Employed business of the Year.
Winners will be announced at a ceremony on 25 February in York and will then go on to compete in the National Final.
Experience Heritage shortlisted for Most Innovative Tech award
We are excited to announce that Experience Heritage has been shortlisted for the Most Innovative Tech award at Startups Magazine's The Hustle Awards! “From freelancers to startups, The Hustle Awards champions the disruptors, the fire-starters and every entrepreneur who took a leap of faith”.
The Awards event will take place on 22 July 2021 at from 6-9pm. Categories include Workspace of 2021, Founder of the Year, Most Innovative Tech, Social Impact Hero and Best UK Startup.
Join us next week to find out if we win! Register here.
