A SMALL Sauchie business which just managed to pull through the pandemic is looking to fend off Scottish competition, vying for wedding supplier glory.

Clacks company Party People has been named as a finalist at this year's Scottish Wedding Awards in the Wedding Supplier of the Year category.

Being selected as finalists has elevated the spirits of owner John Dornan and his staff after some rather challenging circumstances during the pandemic.

John told the Advertiser: "To get this kind of news after the last couple of years, where hospitality businesses have really felt the brunt of the pandemic – we were right in the epicentre of that, to come through at the other end and be nominated for an industry award is just absolutely mind-blowing.

"It just goes to show; the weddings that we did do – although they were restricted in numbers and had to follow different restrictions at different points – customers still appreciated the work that we had to do.

"Although numbers were restricted, we actually had to do a lot more effort, put a lot more work into them."

John thanked customers for taking the time to nominate Party People, especially in the middle of the public health crisis.

The owner of the Sauchie company explained just how hard the pandemic has impacted trade with the business adapting within restrictions.

He said: "Over the course of the pandemic, we lost about 70 per cent of our business.

"It was a massive hit, it was very difficult just to get through."

Indeed, John explained there was a real risk that the multi-award winning firm could fold under the pressures of the pandemic before its 10th anniversary.

However, 2022 is bringing new hope and opportunities.

John reckons many people have postponed celebrations of various life events, but measures aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant have been lifted this Monday.

He said: "Since that last announcement there's been a huge boom in inquiries.

"Although the last two years has been tough, we had to overcome all these challenges, I think in the next couple of years there's going to be a boom in the industry, especially in weddings and parties.

"People have not been able to celebrate these special occasions over the past couple of years but some of these still merit making a big fuss, a lot of people have just postponed it until the restrictions allow."

Winners at this year's Scottish Wedding Awards will be announced on February 23.