FSB North West Celebrating Small Business Awards 2023: packaging specialist, road marking provider and purveyor of exotic cured meats named among winners.
The 12 most inspiring North West small businesses will now go forward to May’s national UK finals in Birmingham – and Cumbria had a winner on the night.
The most inspiring businesses in the North West were named as winners at the Federation of Small Business’s North West Celebrating Small Businesses 2023, which took place at The Edwardian Hotel, Manchester.
Chosen from dozens of finalists and out of hundreds of entrants overall, the winners were revealed by awards host, television and radio presenter Andy Crane. They will now have the chance to be crowned UK Small Business of the Year at the national final in Birmingham.
The winners include four businesses from Cumbria – OEE Container Technology Limited, Carlisle took the prize for Larger Small Business of the Year (sponsored by The Arch Company)
In addition, the Weston Biltong Company Ltd was named Family Business of the Year, Self Employed / Freelancer of the Year is Chris Garland Training, Knutsford, and Chester’s Innovative Energy Consultants bagged the Sustainability Award.
Greater Manchester also provided four winners: Start-Up Business of the Year is Positive Planet, based in the city centre, Sale’s B-Compliant scooped Micro Business of the Year and the Business Product and Innovation Award was won by Social Sense Ltd, in Salford. Box Power CIC in Bolton won the Community Award.
There were three winners from Lancashire: Young Entrepreneur of the Year is James Calderbank / Transform Hub Group inPreston, Lune Valley Pods in Heysham won the Service Excellence Award and the Diversity and Inclusion Award was won by Ability Consultancy (NW) Ltd, in Preston. OEE Container Technology Ltd in Carlisle, Cumbria, was named as Larger Small Business of the Year.
FSB North West Regional Chair, Holly Bonfield, said: “Many congratulations to the winners of this year’s FSB North West Celebrating Small Business Awards. They are the heartbeat of our economy and deserved to be championed at today’s celebrations in Manchester.
“There was such a strong field of amazing entrants so all the finalists and everyone who entered deserve the utmost recognition as leaders of innovation, tenacity and vibrancy that characterises our small business community.”
Paul Wareham, North West Policy Representative, said: “FSB works hard, locally as well as nationally, supporting our members and representing small businesses at every level of government. I salute them and it’s a pleasure to be able to recognise and applaud their achievements.
“It’s been thrilling to see so many North West businesses enthusiastically take part in our awards and the sheer scale and diversity of those who entered is a testimony to the vitality of the small business community. Best of luck to all our winners for the UK national award finals in May.”
The FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards celebrate the best small businesses from the length and breadth of the country, offering national recognition for those who have made the biggest impression over the past 12 months. Twelve area awards finals take place between February and April, with the UK finals taking place at a VIP attended awards ceremony on Thursday, 18 May in Birmingham.
Read the full article on Cumbria24 here.