Bill Jamieson: When the water gets choppy it seems enterprising Scots simply swim faster

It was to be the year of recovery but instead there was a slowdown and a shadow cast over our prospects. It began with the worst winter weather since 1947, followed by a disappointing summer – and a glorious spell in the late autumn which brought us out of our homes and businesses into street cafés: we could hardly believe how warm Scotland could be in the last days of September.

The economy may have sputtered, but the Edinburgh International Festival defied gloomy fears of half-empty theatres and concert halls. There were triumphs as well as setbacks in sport. And on the business front, many Scottish companies, big and small, achieved impressive advances. Yet again that vital quality of resilience that lights the spirit of Scotland was well in evidence. Whether in the categories of Writing, Art, Music, Screen, the Environment, Business, Sport or Food, Scots have continued to score notable advances and achievements.This year’s Spirit of Scotland awards have again been marked by outstanding examples of innovation and endeavour.

The roll call of winners since 1998 reads like a Who’s Who of the best of Scotland. Overall Spirit of Scotland winners have included JK Rowling, the British Curling Team, Ian Rankin, Chris Hoy and the remarkable woman whose voice went round the world, Susan Boyle. This year’s overall winner will be drawn from an impressive pool. In sport, to name just one category, the names of Chris Paterson and Andy Murray could feature in a star-studded list.

Over the years, the awards have played an important role, not only in bringing Scottish achievement to wide attention but also in recognising up and coming talent that has gone on to win international acclaim.

In 2001 JK Rowling scooped the Top Scot Award – the same year that the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was released. “JK” is now a global phenomenon. Ewan McGregor won the Scotland Screen Award in 2003 and is a household name. Scotland has a remarkable ability to nurture winners and bring them to the fore, no matter how challenging the climate. In fact, the tougher it gets, the more determined we seem to be in refusing to lie down and settle for second best.

Given these conditions, it was not surprising that Scotland called on traditional strengths. Nowhere was this more evident than in the realm of food and drink. Its enduringly positive contribution to our economy was all the more evident when others found the going tough.

Here the list of contenders for the top award is particularly strong. Shetland-born chef and restaurant entrepreneur Martin Wishart, already one of the best-known names on the Scottish food scene, has not been content to rest on his Michelin star laurels. His brasserie, The Honours, opened in July and is already one of Edinburgh’s most talked-about restaurants.

Norman MacDonald, proprietor of Café One in Inverness, has added pork to his own Holly House brand of beef and lamb on his innovative menu. Famous names welcomed at Café One include golfer Lee Westwood and Prince Andrew.

James Robb has brought life back to the kilns of an old smokehouse in the East Neuk of Fife, combining ingredients such as beetroot, dark chocolate, local cheese, olive oil and oatmeal. East Pier won Gold in the Great Taste Awards 2011 for smoked Scottish salmon and cold-smoked venison and Robb plans to launch a new cafe in 2012 to showcase his smoked produce.

Heather Anderson and Pete Ritchie struck out by themselves to found Whitmuir the Organic Place, a food and farming business now employing more than 20 and rekindling interest in sustainable local food.

And there is a particularly strong field in the environment category as befits a nation with ambitious targets in renewable energy and with growing ambition to lead healthier lifestyles. Joe Frankel, a social entrepreneur, founded Edinburgh-based Vegware, the UK’s first and only compostable food packaging company, creating cups, plates and

takeaway packaging from plants, not plastic. Now he is expanding overseas.

Scientist Alan Bowman, who obtained a PhD at the Roslin Institute, took up a teaching and research position at the University of Aberdeen. He and his team have pioneered a revolutionary non-pesticide method for controlling the pest that kills honey bees and seriously threatens food production worldwide.

Martin McAdam was appointed chief executive officer of Aquamarine Power in 2008. He continues to refine its Oyster technology to produce clean, sustainable electricity from wave energy and make marine power mainstream. This year the company became the first UK marine energy project to secure a commercial bank loan – this in a year when it was an award-winning feat to secure a bank loan of any sort.

Fife-based environmental architect Tom Morton’s Arc has become one of Scotland’s leading environmental design practices. His new buildings have advanced the agenda for affordable and healthy eco-homes, while other projects help sustain Scotland’s heritage. He is currently involved with a major Historic Scotland report on using plants to protect buildings.

Across these categories and others, the list of nominees is all the more impressive for the grit and determination shown. These are qualities that go with true talent, and which make these awards all the more commendable.