Lancashire’s best businesses honoured at awards

More than 1,000 celebrated at the sell-out Red Rose Awards in Blackpool, with 24 businesses collecting specially crafted trophies to mark their exceptional business performance.

The winners, along with five firms which were highly commended in their categories, were cheered on by a capacity audience of more than 1,100 – filling the vast Winter Gardens' Empress Ballroom.

Business from the length and breadth of the county vied for titles across a range of categories, with 150, selected by a panel of expert judges, progressing through to the shortlist and then onto the stage to be rewarded with fanfare.

The twitter campaign, backed by burnley.co.uk, had the #RRA15 hashtag trending UK-wide, bringing the eyes of the twittersphere to Lancashire.

It was the fifth time the Red Rose Awards had been held, which coincided with the tenth anniversary of Lancashire Business View, the magazine behind the event.

In addition to the 25 category winners, an extra special publisher’s award was presented to Padiham’s Trueman’s (Holdings).

Event founder Richard Slater, also the publisher of Lancashire Business View, said: “It has been another fantastic Red Rose Awards – our fifth to date. We are thrilled by the business community getting so involved. We created the event to promote trade in the county and to celebrate the success stories and it is fantastic to see that so many support that vision.

“The Red Rose Awards do things the Lancashire way and continue to grow in popularity every year. “Our job is to connect businesses and we do this by creating interaction points, and we've had more collaborators, more suppliers and more businesses talking to each other than ever before. ”

BBC Radio Lancashire host Graham Liver compered the evening, whilst Burnley businessman and TV star Dave Fishwick providing the voiceover.

Headline sponsors for the event were Forbes Solicitors and Barclays. A full review and picture gallery will be featured in the May/June edition of Lancashire Business View. Entertainment included Lancashire-based international opera singer Sean Ruane backed by the BAE Systems MAI Choir, Mr Wilson's Second Liners and the Ian Hooper Band.

Click here for a gallery of photographs from the night.

Full list of winners:

Online Business of the Year sponsored by Lloyd Blackpool BMW

Finalists -

• Chard (1964)
• iflorist
• Netflights.com
• EkmPowershop
• Personnel Checks
• The Hot Tub Superstore

WINNER - ekmPowershop, Darwen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skills Provider Award sponsored by Ascentis

Finalists -

• Access Ability CIC
• Themis at Burnley College
• Blackpool and The Fylde College
• Colossal Training
• Training 2000
• WEC Group

WINNER - Themis at Burnley College, Burnley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rural Business of the Year

Finalists -

• Cedar Farm
• Farm Creative
• Ginger Recruitment Services
• Potters Barn
• The Cartford Inn

WINNER - Farm Creative, Billsborrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Business Award sponsored by 3ManFactory

Finalists -

• Acorn Cleaners
• Blackpool and The Fylde College
• Carbon Footprint Experts Lighting
• Crowberry Consulting
• Neales Waste Management
• The Low Carbon Energy Company

 WINNER - The Low Carbon Energy Company, Burnley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not-for-profit Business of the Year

Finalists -

• Caritas Care
• Incredible Edible Rossendale
• Lancashire Community Finance
• Lancashire Sport Partnership
• Spring into Action CIC
• The Foxton Centre

WINNER - The Foxton Centre, Preston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Service Award sponsored by Napthens Solicitors

Finalists -

• BAKO North Western
• Gold Medal Travel Group
• Lakeview Rest Homes
• Lloyd Motors
• Primary Teaching Services
• StoneHouse Logic

WINNER - StoneHouse Logic, Clayton le Moors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Business of the Year sponsored by Business & Enterprise Trust

Finalists -

• Ascent Scaffolding UK
• Bertram’s Restaurant
• CliniCall CiC
• Praetura Asset Finance
• Ruby & Daisy
• WECJet

WINNER - Ruby & Daisy, Rossendale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

International Achievement Award sponsored by Cassons

Finalists -

• Andrew Porter
• ekmPowershop
• Group55
• iflorist
• Natures Aid
• Tangerine Holdings

WINNER - Natures Aid, Preston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innovation of the Year sponsored by Preston's College

Finalists -

• Andrew Porter
• Azotic Technologies
• Khans Quality Foods
• Morow
• OneFit Software
• Prefix Systems

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Andrew Porter

WINNER - Morow, Nelson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing Business of the Year sponsored by Boost Business Lancashire

Finalists -

• Bertram’s Restaurant
• Carbon Footprint Experts Lighting
• Colossal Training
• MAC Clinical Research
• MendIT
• Service Care Solutions

WINNER - Service Care Solutions, Preston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Sector Business of the Year sponsored by Peter Scott Printers

Finalists -

• Academy Print & Design (UK)
• Bigtank Productions
• Creativeworld
• Cuffe and Taylor
• Fat Media
• We Love PR

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Fat Media

WINNER - Cuffe and Taylor, Preston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Retail Business of the Year sponsored by 2BR and The Bee

Finalists -

• Cakes by Ruth
• Freeport Fleetwood
• Khans Quality Foods
• Leonard Dews Jewellers
• Ruby & Daisy
• The Ink Squid

WINNER - Freeport, Fleetwood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tourism and Leisure Business of the Year sponsored by Marketing Lancashire

Finalists -

• After Dark Entertainment
• Crow Wood Leisure
• Gold Medal Travel Group
• Seafood Pub Company
• Sunshine Events UK
• Winter Gardens Blackpool

WINNER - Crow Wood Leisure, Burnley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction Business of the Year sponsored by Just Construction & Property Networking

Finalists -

• Anderton Gables
• Ascent Scaffolding UK
• Bryan Lee Building Contractors
• Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors
• Prefix Systems
• Truemans (Holdings)

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Truemans (Holdings)

WINNER - Prefix Systems, Blackburn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engineering Business of the Year sponsored by BAE Systems

Finalists -

• BCW Engineering
• CoolKit Limited
• Hardy Services
• Merc Engineering
• PDS Engineering
• WECJet

WINNER - PDS Engineering, Nelson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health and Care Business of the Year sponsored by North West Coast Academic Health Science Network

Finalists -

• Lakeview Rest Homes
• MAC Clinical Research
• Mosaic Community Care
• Physiofusion
• Springhill Care
• Stocks Hall Nursing & Care Group

WINNER - MAC Clinical Research, Blackpool

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legal Business of the Year sponsored by Allied Lighting

Finalists -

• AMT LAWYERS LTD
• Farleys Solicitors
• Harrison Drury solicitors
• JFS
• Napthens Solicitors
• Taylors

WINNER - Joseph Frasier Solicitors, Blackburn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manufacturing Business of the Year sponsored by Barclays

Finalists -

• CoolKit
• Khans Quality Foods
• Laila’s Fine Foods
• Prefix Systems
• REM (UK)
• Woodscape

HIGHLY COMMENDED -REM (UK)

WINNER - Prefix Systems, Blackburn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property Business of the Year sponsored by Slatescape

Finalists -

• Aldrock Surveyors
• Anderton Gables
• Cassidy + Ashton
• Cleanall Services
• Lantei Compliance Services
• Lea Hough Chartered Surveyors

WINNER - Anderton Gables, Preston

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial Services Business of the Year sponsored by Financial Affairs

Finalists -

• Beever and Struthers
• Cassons
• KR Group
• Marsden Building Society
• PM+M Solutions For Business
• XLCR Vehicle Management

WINNER - Marsden Building Society, Nelson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Employer of the Year sponsored by Four Recruitment

• Clayton Recruitment
• Danbro
• Lanway
• Pennine Events
• Primary Teaching Services
• The Foxton Centre

HIGHLY COMMENDED - Primary Teaching Services

WINNER - Danbro, Lytham

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Business of the Year sponsored by Laura Hartley Recruitment

Finalists -

• Chorley Group
• Cummins Mellor Recruitment
• Laila’s Fine Foods
• The Hot Tub Superstore
• Trilanco
• Woodscape

WINNER - The Chorley Group, Chorley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Business of the Year sponsored by FSB

Finalists -

• Chard (1964)
• Colossal Training
• Gconnect
• Group55
• Sous Vide Tools
• Tufties Hair & Beauty

WINNER - Tufties Hair and Beauty, Rossendale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medium Business of the Year sponsored by Businesswise Solutions

Finalists -

• CoolKit
• ekmPowershop
• Prefix Systems
• Service Care Solutions
• The Hot Tub Superstore
• Trilanco

WINNER - Prefix Systems, Blackburn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large Business of the Year sponsored by Forbes Solicitors

Finalists -

• Gold Medal Travel Group
• KR Group
• Laila’s Fine Foods
• Simon Jersey
• Springhill Care
• Winter Gardens Blackpool

WINNER - Simon Jersey, Accrington

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publisher’s Award Winner - Truemans (Holdings), Padiham