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