Lancashire business community gathers to toast Red Rose Awards winners

Some of Lancashire's leading business figures gathered at Eaves Hall for the Red Rose Winners' Reception - a celebration of success and collaboration across the county.

The event brought together winners, sponsors and supporters from this year's ceremony, offering and opportunity to reflect, network and champion Lancashire's thriving business community.

Richard Slater, chairman of Lancashire Business View, welcomed guests and shared key highlights from the 2025 awards, noting that this year's finalists represented a combined turnover of nearly £1bn and profits of more than £66m.

He said: "Through the Red Rose Awards, we bring Lancashire business together - to each other and to the attention of the wider world. 

"We celebrate excellence in the county and showcase the breadth and depth of our business offer. 

"We meet customers, suppliers and collaborators and encourage more trade within the region."

The event began with a video recap of the March ceremony at Blackpool's Winter Gardens, produced by Big Tank Productions.

The winners' reception was sponsored by Burnley-based Financial Affairs. 

Director Laurence O'Connor said: "We love success in this county, so supporting everyone who has won an award is a great privilege. It's important to stop and reflect on what we've achieved."

Winners including David Germain of Anderton Centre, Damien Mercer of Cavity Extraction, Oli Minett of Dennis Eagle, Carrie-Ann Kay of Rene K Couture, and Jordan Dempsey of Sid Hill Transport joined Richard Slater to share insights into their businesses and opportunities they're seeking.

John Woodruffe of Turnkey Corporate, sponsors of the Red Rose peer networks, outlined free support on offer to the winners and finalists.

He said: "We specialise in business development and scaling.

"Through our peer networks - what we're calling the 'board you can't afford' - 10 business leaders meet monthly to share challenges and expertise. We're also offering masterclasses, business health checks, and follow-up reports to help drive further growth."

Joanne Hindley, sales director of Lancashire Business View, confirmed that planning for the 2026 awards was already underway.

She said: "We'll be meeting with sponsors early to help them get the most value, and we're aiming for the 2026 awards to be even bigger and better."

The Red Rose Awards 2025 were in association with Forbes Solicitors and Barclays. The judging partner was Burnley College, and the validation partner was RSM.

The awards were sponsored by +24, BAE Systems, Bigtank, Blackburn College, Brysdales, Burnley Football Club, Campbell and Rowley, Chorley Council, Cube HR, Cube Thinking, D&M Creative, Farleys Solicitors, Harrison Drury Solicitors, High Court Enforcement, Mytton Fold Hotel, Napthens Group, Nybble, PDS Engineering, Peter Scott Printers, Pierce, PM+M, Porsche Centre Preston, Sales Geek, Shout Network, Sowena Group, The Fun Experts, Talentedge, Turnkey, Trident Utilities, The Fun Experts, University of Central Lancashire, Viva.

The awards were also supported by Community Foundation for Lancashire, Marketing Lancashire, Merchandise4Impact, RBC Brewin Dolphin, Worden Green Recruitment and Shout Connect and raising funds for Lancashire and South Cumbria Hospices Together.

To learn more about the winners, check out the Red Rose Awards at www.redroseawards.co.uk.