Outstanding employee awards announced at The Bay and Old Manor
Pettycur Bay Holiday Park & The Bay Hotel, together with its sister business, The Old Manor Hotel at Lundin Links, have acknowledged their employees by handing out Employee of the Year and Outstanding Achievement Awards, at both venues.
Overall Employee of the Year at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park is Senior Supervisor, Amy McKinnon, and Chef, Michael Schembri, has been given an Outstanding Achievement Award.
At the Old Manor Hotel also in the same ownership, Head Receptionist, Christina Kennedy, has received the Outstanding Achievement Award.
Amy McKinnon, 23, originally from Burntisland, and now living in Kirkcaldy, has worked at Pettycur Bay since she was just sixteen years of age. She said: “I’m delighted to receive recognition in this way. In the seven years I have been working here, I’ve really grown in confidence.
“When I was sixteen and starting out, I was incredibly anxious and speaking to people was hard for me. My twin sister Charly also works here, and is a much more outgoing and confident person than myself, so I learned to be more confident from her, plus the supportive team around me at Pettycur were with me every step of the way.
“I’m pretty happy with where I am at now in the company, but I’m definitely open to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible from both the place and the people,” she added. “What I like most about the role is that each day is never the same, it never gets boring, and there are always fresh challenges to deal with.”
Amy also commented on what she called “the social aspect of working at Pettycur Bay – it’s been pretty memorable. You make a lot of lifelong friends through working in hospitality, due to the long hours and stress. It’s something you bond over, and nights out definitely help with the process. I’m also extremely lucky that I met my partner of four years working at Pettycur, so that’s definitely one of my favourite things that I’ve gained from the place.”
When she‘s not working, Amy enjoys doing some weight training at the gym.
“I like the challenge of getting stronger and upping the weights. The constant small and positive changes it makes to your body and your life is something that makes it addictive.”
Michael Schembri, whose family is originally from Malta, lives in Burntisland. He first worked at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park as a chef from 1998 until 2007. He returned to the job in 2015, and, now, aged 70 is still very much enjoying cooking and being in a busy professional kitchen.
Michael said: “I originally trained as a chef at Catering College in Malta.
“I love everything about cooking, but am especially happy on the sauce section. My favourite dishes on the Horizons menu are the lasagne and the steak pie. I am delighted to receive this award. Horizons is very much the type of restaurant I like to go out to eat in myself – the food is excellent, but the whole experience is not over the top, which is a turn off for me.”
Away from work, Michael likes to go walking in the countryside, as this reminds him of his upbringing on a farm.
Christina Kennedy, known as Tina, has been at the Old Manor Hotel for three years this May, having previously worked at a number of Fife’s best known hotels, including The Craw’s Nest Hotel, Cambo House, and Rufflets in St Andrews. Originally from Leven, she moved to Anstruther in 1982.
Listing interaction with people as one of the best aspects of her job, Christina especially likes dealing with tourists from overseas.
She said: “I love everything about my job, every day is different and you meet so many nice people. I still keep in touch with people that I met fifteen years ago through work.
“When guests mention you by name in a review, it’s always a real boost, or just when they say thank you.”
As well as enjoying reading, Christina enjoys making jewellery and crafting. She meets up with friends from her Cambo days once or twice a month to catch up. She’s also keeping her skills up to date by recently completing a World Host course.
Tommy Wallace, Director at Pettycur Bay Holiday Park and The Bay Hotel, said: “A huge well done to Amy, Michael and Christina. All three of them are absolutely fantastic, hard-working employees that we are delighted to have in our team. Hospitality has really been through the mill in the past four or five years.
“It’s a very challenging environment, where sometimes the people working in it day to day do not get the credit they deserve. We wanted to reach out and make a gesture to show how much we appreciate the people who work for us. They ensure that our customers have the best experiences when they’re here at Pettycur, or along the road at the Old Manor. Good staff are really worth their weight in gold, and we try to be as supportive as possible at every level of the business.”
