Rallying call for entrants at launch event for 15th anniversary of the Red Rose Awards in 2025

There was a real buzz of excitement about business at the special launch event for the Red Rose Awards 2025 at Mytton Fold Hotel.

The Red Rose Awards, now in its 15th year, will be held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on March 13, and it is a celebration of business across the county presented by Lancashire Business View.

More than 50 people attended the launch event and included sponsors, former winners and potential entrants.

Richard Slater, chairman of Lancashire Business View, said: “It is going to be our biggest Red Rose Awards ever with it being our 15th anniversary, and we have lots of things planned.

“It is here to celebrate excellence and provide a bunch of different platforms to celebrate success Lancashire Business View magazine, LBV online, our social media following, through our many partners and sponsors and also in person when you attend.”

Stephen Bolton, managing director of Lancashire Business View, says the event has grown significantly year on year.

 “It’s something we are incredibly proud of," said Stephen.

 "There is something truly unique about RRA, you walk into the room on the night and the atmosphere is electric,

 "Together we’ve built a Red Rose Community!"

Colin Mustoe, from launch event sponsor Mytton Fold Hotel, was a former winner of the Red Rose Awards.

He praised the award and was calling on businesses to enter.

He said: “When you have got a small or an up-and-coming business and you are trying to find your place, I think awards are a fantastic way of going forward. The pleasure when you win an award is fantastic and it makes people in the organization think they are really involved in something worthwhile.”

The headline sponsors this year for the awards are Forbes Solicitors and Barclays, while category sponsors include: Harrison Drury,  Napthens Group, TalentEdge, PM+M, Farleys Solicitors, University of Central Lancashire, Chorley Council, Peter Scott Printers, Pierce, Sowena Group, Porsche Centre Preston, Cube Thinking, Cube HR, and Brysdales.

Speaking at the event, Emma Swan, from Forbes, said: “The businesses we have in Lancashire are so incredibly varied, from such different communities that the event is a way of showcasing all those businesses across our great county.

“I don’t think we see in other counties or cities where you have a different depth and breadth of businesses, from small ones where you have one or two people involved to others that have thousands.

“Then you have those that serve people on their doorstep to others who are helping communities across the globe. It is great to see all that in one room in one night.”

Paul Nicholls from Barclays, said there is a ‘spirit about Red Rose’ and it was great to have an underlying feeling of to ‘celebrate Lancashire’.

He added: “We get to see businesses at ground level and cultivate relationships that we probably would not have had the insight or information to have a relationship with those businesses. We have seen some of our best clients go on to great things and move forward in the bank into far larger sector and that is because of Red Rose.”

Later, Richard Slater spoke to Michael Dugdale from energy partners Trident Utilities who talked about their values of sustainability and how they decided to offset all people’s travel arrangements to get to Blackpool for the event.

He said: “It worked out that it would be 25,000 miles would be travelled by all attendees that night, which is once around the planet.

“That equates to seven tonnes of carbon so we worked with Ribble Rivers Trust to plant trees to offset the carbon, and then for every winner we went to plant another tree at Blue Slate Farm in Samlesbury and all the winners got a certificate to verify that tree is in the ground. Every year they get a photo of their tree.”

Organisers praised runway sponsors +24, judging partners Burnley College, Sales Geek, Brysdales, RSM, Nybble, Community and Business Partners, Shout Connect, Campbell & Rowley, PDS Engineering, Big Tank, The Fun Experts, Burnley FC, RBS Brewin Dolphin, Marketing Lancashire and Community Foundation for Lancashire for supporting the Red Rose Awards.

There are 23 different categories this year to enter and the deadline for nominations for the award is midnight December 13.  You can enter the award by checking out www.redroseawards.co.uk/enter-an-award .