Red Rose Awards shortlist announced

The shortlist for the 2022 Red Rose Awards, in association with Forbes Solicitors and Barclays, has been announced following a bumper number of entries.

This year’s event will take place just six months after the 2021 ceremony - which was delayed due to lockdown - but that hasn’t stopped organisations from across Lancashire flooding the nominations process with good news stories.

A new category created specifically to recognise micro businesses has proven especially popular and so has the tourism category - despite that being one of the most severely-affected industries over the last two years.

Each shortlisted organisation now has the opportunity to present their case in person to a panel of hand-picked, independent judges and sponsors at a special event on April 27 and 28. All nominees will also be be given the support of Sales Geek which will deliver a free-of-charge story-telling masterclass, drawing on their own experiences of winning multiple Red Rose Awards in the past. The judging process is sponsored by RSM.

The judges will then pick a winner in each of the 22 categories, which cover sectors and sizes of business, as well as specific achievements such as customer service excellence and going green.

Oliver Burton, CEO at Forbes Solicitors, headline sponsors of the awards for the twelfth year, said “Shortlisting this year has been a very hard task. Following the pandemic, businesses should be proud of what they’ve achieved and we are still seeing how they have been resilient and adapted to the benefit of their businesses. Congratulations to all and we look forward to meeting them at judging.”

John Stanworth, head of corporate banking at Barclays in Lancashire and Cumbria, a headline sponsor for nine years, said: “As always the award entries have been of a very high standard making judging a very difficult job indeed! Those that have made it through to this stage should be very proud. We are looking forward to meeting the finalists at the next stage and celebrating their successes on the night of the awards.”

Richard Slater, publisher of Lancashire Business View which organises the Red Rose Awards, said: “The feedback to these awards has been tremendous and we are in awe at the feel-good stories we have seen.

“It’s not been a full year since our last ceremony and we appreciate that many businesses are still in the difficult recovery period, but it is clear that this has done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm Lancashire has for celebrating all that is good about living and working in the red rose county.”

Richard added: “We wish all the shortlisted companies well and are very much looking forward to meeting them in-person at the judging event.”

The Red Rose Awards are in association with Forbes Solicitors and Barclays. The judging partner is RSM and social media partner is Zigaflow.

The awards are sponsored by Alcidion, Azets, Bigtank, Campbell and Rowley, Cube Thinking, Ewood Experience, Four Recruitment, Fox Group, Harrison Drury Solicitors, Lancaster University, Matrix 247, Mattioli Woods, Napthens Solicitors, Pendle Engineering, Peter Scott Printers, PM+M, Porsche Centre Bolton, Porsche Centre Preston, Sales Geek, Seriun, The Fun Experts, United Utilities and UCLan.

The awards are supported by AMRC North West, Chorley Council, Marketing Lancashire, Pink Link and Winter Gardens Blackpool.

The charity partner is Community Foundation for Lancashire.

The Red Rose Awards 2022 finalists are:

Built Environment Award
Sponsored by Harrison Drury Solicitors

Cassidy+Ashton Architects, Preston

Collinson Construction, Preston

Fox Group, Blackpool
HPA Chartered Architects, Lancaster

Kingswood Homes, Preston

Murton & Co, Lancaster

Corporate Social Responsibility Award

Sponsored by Community Foundation for Lancashire

Chorley Building Society, Chorley

Elektec, Darwen

Fox Group, Blackpool

Go Velo, Colne

nybble.co.uk, Blackburn

RJ8, Burnley

Customer Service Award

Sponsored by Seriun

Chorley Group, Chorley

CUBE HR, Burnley

Higher People, Preston

Revive! Preston, Preston

Skiddle, Preston

Trident Utilities, Blackpool

Design Award

Sponsored by Peter Scott Printers

Bigtank Productions, Ramsbottom

Jellymedia, Blackpool

TCB Designs, Burnley

Think!Creative, Poulton-Le-Fylde

Two Stories, Lancaster

Walk Tall Creative, Edenfield

Digital Award

21Digital, Blackburn

Bigtank Productions, Ramsbottom

CheckedSafe, Burnley

Jellymedia, Blackpool

Red-Fern Media, Burnley

Redmoor Health, Chorley

Employer of the Year Award

Sponsored by Four Recruitment

Active Lancashire, Leyland

BiU, Lytham St. Annes

Burnley College, Burnley

Connect Childcare, Brierfield

Shelter Lancashire, Blackburn

Spencer Clarke Group, Preston

Export Award

Sponsored by PM+M

Carvansons, Haslingden

Equestrian Surfaces, Burnley

Kerax, Chorley

Slingco, Rossendale

VMS Solutions, Thornton-Cleveleys

Tensar International, Blackburn

Family Business Award

Sponsored by Napthens Solicitors

Fagan & Whalley, Padiham

Forest Group, Blackburn

Frederick's Ice Cream, Chorley

GHW Windows, Blackburn

Redmoor Health, Chorley

Star Tissue UK, Blackburn

Green Award

Sponsored by Mattioli Woods plc

Crowberry Consulting, Chorley

Equestrian Surfaces, Burnley

Freedom Heat Pumps, Bamber Bridge

Morecambe Bay Chowder Co, Morecambe

RecycleIT, Burnley

Senator International, Accrington

Health and Wellbeing Award

Sponsored by Alcidion

Breathe Therapies, Preston

Counselling in the Community, Blackpool

Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, Preston

Progress Lifeline, Leyland

RJ8, Burnley

Six Connections, Burnley

Innovation Award

Sponsored by the University of Central Lancashire

Alcidion, Burnley  

Breathe Therapies, Preston

CheckedSafe, Burnley

ELE Advanced Technologies, Colne

IN4 Group, Preston

Trident Utilities, Blackpool

Large Business Award

Sponsored by Forbes Solicitors

Chorley Group, Chorley

CMAC Group, Accrington

Fox Group, Blackpool

GA Pet Food, Chorley

James' Places, Clitheroe

Slingco, Rawtenstall

Made in Lancashire Award

Sponsored by Barclays

ELE Advanced Technologies, Colne

Marvtech, Burnley

Slingco, Rossendale

Star Tissue UK, Blackburn

Strongdor, Carnforth

Tensar International, Blackburn

Medium Business Award

Sponsored by Azets

Forest Group, Blackburn

Freedom Heat Pumps, Bamber Bridge  

Redmoor Health, Chorley

Spencer Clarke Group, Preston

Strongdor, Carnforth

Tile Mart, Preston 

Micro Business Award

Complete Online Solutions, Blackpool  

CUBE HR, Burnley

ITPR, Preston

Juniper Wealth Management, Preston

Pop Up Entertainment, Blackburn

The Luxury Copywriter, Ormskirk

New Business Award

Sponsored by Porsche Centre Preston

Delilah Chloe, Blackburn

Disruptive Foods, Kirkham  

Scope Fire & Security, Blackburn

Serconnect, Blackburn

Sid Hill Transport, Thornton-Cleveleys

The Little Lancashire Village, Rawtenstall

Not-for-profit Award

Sponsored by United Utilities

Active Lancashire, Leyland

Advocacy Focus, Accrington

Artz for All, Skelmersdale

Blackpool FC Community Trust, Blackpool

Empowerment Charity, Blackpool

Lancashire Women, Accrington

Professional Services Award

Sponsored by Matrix247

Becketts FS, Poulton-le-Fylde

Cortus Advisory Group, Fullwood

Farleys Solicitors, Blackburn

MJH Accountants, Preston

True Bearing Chartered Financial Planners, Chorley

Woodcocks, Haworth & Nuttall Solicitors, Blackburn

Resilience Award

Forsberg Services, Heysham

Fresh Perspective Resourcing, Chorley

nybble.co.uk, Blackburn

PDS CNC Engineering, Nelson

GHW Windows, Blackburn

Frederick's Ice Cream, Chorley

Scale-Up Award

Sponsored by Cube Thinking

Alcedo Care Group, Preston

B2BTradeCard, Chorley

ELE Advanced Technologies, Colne

Freedom Heat Pumps, Bamber Bridge

Luxus Design, Preston

Spencer Clarke Group, Preston

Small Business Award

Sponsored by Fox Group

Acumen Financial Partnership, Burscough

B2BTradeCard, Chorley

Becketts FS, Poulton-le-Fylde

Empress Fencing, Chatburn

Red-Fern Media, Burnley

Serconnect, Blackburn

Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Award

Sponsored by Porsche Centre Bolton

Brindle Distillery, Chorley

Crow Wood Leisure, Burnley

James' Places, Clitheroe

Mrs Dowsons Farm Park, Blackburn

The Flower Bowl Entertainment Centre, Preston

Winter Gardens Blackpool, Blackpool

Note: qualification requires businesses to be paying rates to one or more of Lancashire’s 14 district or unitary boroughs.

Information for Editors
For further editorial information, contact Rachael Norris, head of marketing and events at Lancashire Business View on 07514 542095 or [email protected]

For further images, including high res shots, quotes and interview set-up with previous sponsors, winners or finalists please also contact Rachael Norris.