An end to the downpours saw guests gather for the second night of entertainment at the Toymaster May Show, with the Awards Dinner well attended by those keen to mark the achievements of people from across the industry.

Toymaster MD Yogi Parmar opened the evening with a speech in which he thanked everyone who helped bring the show to life for 2024.

Day two of the Toymaster May Show 2024 ended with the highly anticipated Awards Dinner, an evening of celebration and recognition that pays homage to individuals from across the whole toy sector who have, in some way, gone above and beyond for the Toymaster buying group.

Opening the awards presentations, Toymaster managing director Yogi Parmar praised the Toymaster family and took the opportunity to thank the dedicated and hard-working staff of The Majestic hotel, all of whom have played a vital role in ensuring the show was once again an unmissable event. Yogi also highlighted the amazing job the Toymaster team has done behind the scenes in organising the show and making sure it ran smoothly (including the provision of Toymaster-branded golf umbrellas for navigating through the downpours, which KAP Toys’ Nat Southworth called ‘the hottest item of the show’).

Yogi added: “It warms my heart to see it all come together. Thank you to all our independent retailers, suppliers and members for their support in making this show so special.”

The immensely popular Nick Saunders of Brainstorm was honoured with a Friends of Toymaster award. Friends of Toymaster are the ‘unsung heroes’ of the industry, who go above and beyond to support Toymaster and the independent sector. Paul Reader, Toymaster’s commercial director, described Nick as “everyone’s dad, captain, leader”, and someone who really does insist that his success is down to the team around him.

Paul added: “Nick is a true gentleman, a credit to his business, a massive advocate of independents, and someone who fully appreciates the marketing opportunities Toymaster presents its suppliers. He’s a supporter of everything we do, understands the importance of building relationships from grassroots level, especially with independents, and values the contribution of everyone in his team. Nick always finds the best ways to improve Brainstorm’s service to Toymaster and its members.”

A Special Recognition Award was presented to Philip Kaye of Kayes of Cardiff. Special recognition awards are given only to those who have made a real difference over the years, forging strong relationships with Toymaster as well as its members, and putting people at the centre of everything they do. Yogi described Philip as a “real gentleman who’s made a tangible difference to a lot of people over the years”, with his unfailing determination and hard work making him a great supporter of Toymaster and its members.

“Philip will always find the time to help someone and is immensely respected not only by us at Toymaster, but by the entire trade,” Yogi added. “It takes a certain personality to work that hard for so long. Thank you for being you and for all your dedication to Toymaster over the years.”

Accepting the award, Philip said: “It’s a great pleasure to receive this award. Thanks must go to my team back in Cardiff and all of you for your support.”

Supplier of the Year, meanwhile, went to Character Options, much to the delight of those gathered for the event. Supplier of the Year is awarded only to suppliers who have shown excellent service to Toymaster during the previous year, and while Paul was quick to thank all suppliers for their help in bringing the show to life, he also detailed why Character was the deserving winner of this coveted award: its strong sales performance, continuous efforts to ensure its brands were well-represented in Toymaster members’ stores, its resilience and resolve.

Character, he said, embodies the very spirit of hard work (and hard play) and works tirelessly to meet the needs of members thanks to its ability to see the value of face-to-face relationships.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Character’s sales director said: “We love Toymaster! We genuinely value the group’s members and the independent trade, who have done so much to support us over the years. Thank you so much.”

Rounding out the evening’s awards, the British Toy & Hobby Association presented Epoch’s Jon Ward with a prestigious Golden Teddy. Golden Teddy Awards are the BTHA’s award recognising individuals who possess a degree of honesty and integrity and are the industry’s genuinely nice people.

BTHA chairman Simon Pilkington, who presented Jon with his teddy, detailed how he had served the industry for over 30 years, working with iconic brands including K’Nex, Hasbro, Flair, Tomy, Trends UK and, of course, Epoch. Jon was described by nomination as someone who is an honest, hardworking and kind man who gets great satisfaction from helping others.

The independent buying show concludes at 4pm today after a hugely successful three days at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate. Readers will be able to see Toy World‘s full review of the show in the July issue.

John, Rachael, Caroline and Gabriela would like to extend their thanks to the whole Toymaster team for their warm welcome, the superb show (and delicious food), as well as to the numerous suppliers and retailers – of which there are too many to mention – who took time out of their day to chat with them and provide feedback on the show.