Red Rose Awards reception celebrates Lancashire’s business brilliance

Winners, sponsors and judges of this year’s Red Rose Awards gathered in the spring sunshine at Eaves Hall in the Ribble Valley for a celebration of success and excellence in business.

The 2024 awards’ winners’ reception, sponsored by Lancashire County Council, was attended by more than 100 invited guests.

The reception was also another opportunity to highlight this year’s winners and their achievements. Each received a framed certificate to go with the actual trophy they were presented with at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on the night.

Guests at the gathering, which began with a drinks reception on the terrace of the country house, heard from a number of winners who shared what receiving the trophy meant for them and their teams.

The event was also told that the finalists this year represented a combined turnover of £1.5bn.

Aidy Riggott, Lancashire County Council cabinet member for economic development and growth, congratulated the winners on their successes and the role they play in the county’s economy.

He also spoke of the importance of collaboration, telling the audience: “The more we work with each other, the better we work and the better success we have.”

Councillor Riggott highlighted the wide range of council-backed business support available in the county, declaring: “We will back you in any way that we can.”

He revealed a soon-to-be-published report would show the county now has the second largest economy in the North West.

And he urged businesses to champion each other and celebrate their success, adding: “Lancashire doesn’t sell itself well enough, but we are trying to change that.”

Jaydee Davis from Community & Business Partners urged all this year’s award winners to join the free peer network created exclusively for them.

Each company that takes home a trophy is invited to join the group, where they will be able to use their collective expertise and experience to share advice and help solve problems for each other.

They will also have access to business support, including taking part in masterclasses delivered by previous award winners and expert speakers on topics such as finance, recruitment and marketing.

Lancashire Business View’s managing director Stephen Bolton thanked all the businesses and organisations involved in the Red Rose Awards. He said it was now more than an awards event and had become a “community” committed to doing business the right way.

The Red Rose Awards were once again supported by Forbes Solicitors, headline sponsor every year since its launch in 2011, and Barclays, headline sponsor for more than a decade. The validation partner was RSM and the judging partner was Lancaster University.