In these difficult times, three Evening Express Aberdeen’s Champion Awards finalists embraced their creative sides to provide light-hearted entertainment to lift the spirit of the north-east.

Calum Lawrie of Calum Lawrie Piping Promotions, Craig Wilson – also known as The Kilted Chef – and Scott Anderson – better known by his stage name HomeAlone – were named finalists in the Entertainment Champion category, supported by Fyfe Moir & Associates.

Aiming to highlight, celebrate and recognise acts of selflessness in the north-east communities, the Evening Express Aberdeen’s Champion Awards are run in association with Balmoral Group and Original 106FM.

Calum Lawrie used his talents as a bagpiper to bring a smile to the faces of those stuck in isolation at home during lockdown. He started offering a “chat and tune” service, making more than 100 calls a month, performing via FaceTime, WhatsApp or Skype.

He said: “The opportunity to speak with people and brighten their day with a personal call was the main reason why we started doing this.

“It has been so rewarding seeing the look of peoples’ faces when they answer the call to me, wearing full highland dress and surprising them with a message from friends and family.

“I’ve had calls with children, grandparents and everyone in between.

“We don’t charge anything for the calls, but some of our callers have made donations to local charities or NHS funds, which is an added bonus for us to help contribute to.”

Calum is looking forward to the awards ceremony.

He said: “This will be my first virtual awards ceremony so I’m very excited to see what the format will be and look forward to sharing the experience with my wife and two sons.”

Craig Wilson, chef and owner of Eat on the Green restaurant, launched a Live@5 cookery show to entertain people by inspiring them to get back in the kitchen and create delicious, healthy meals.

He said he was “delighted” to be one of the finalists in the Entertainment category.

Craig stated: “It’s great to be recognised for the commitment and hard work we put into delivering our Live@5 show.

“What started out from our home kitchen, filmed on my phone, has grown to over 40 shows, welcoming homegrown singing talent and showcasing our fantastic food and drink producers.

“We also recently moved filming to the Laings Kitchens and Bathrooms showroom in Inverurie.

“We are looking forward to the virtual awards ceremony and wish all finalists the best of luck.”

Scott – HomeAlone – cheered up locals by sharing a range of DJ routines and live streaming sets on his Instagram page.

Scott, who previously supported the likes of Drake, The Weeknd and Lily Allen, said: “My one-minute DJ routines were based around anything and everything from the FIFA video game series to Spongebob Squarepants and Nicola Sturgeon.

“It’s been a tough year for everyone and the smallest gestures can make a huge difference to people’s lives.

“If I can make one person smile through my videos, then I’ve done my job properly.”

Go to www.dctevents.com/event/aberdeenschampionawards/ for more information

Do you want to be involved? Contact Lesley Taylor on Lesley.Taylor@dctmedia.co.uk for information and Carole.Bruce@ajl.co.uk for sponsorship opportunities