The most inspiring businesses in the North West have recently (Friday, 3 March) been named as winners at the Federation of Small Business’s North West Celebrating Small Businesses 2023, which took place at The Edwardian Hotel, Manchester.
Chosen from dozens of finalists and out of hundreds of entrants overall, the winners were revealed by awards host, television and radio presenter Andy Crane. They will now have the chance to be crowned UK Small Business of the Year at the national final in Birmingham.
The winners include three businesses from Cheshire: there were celebrations again for Congleton-based Thermmark, which won Exporter of the Year for the second year running after being voted top international business in 2022.
In addition, the Weston Biltong Company Ltd was named Family Business of the Year and Self Employed / Freelancer of the Year is Chris Garland Training, Knutsford.
Greater Manchester provided five winners: Start-Up Business of the Year is Positive Planet, based in the city centre, Sale’s B-Compliant scooped Micro Business of the Year, the Business Product and Innovation Award was won by Social Sense Ltd, in Salford. Box Power CIC in Bolton won the Community Award and Manchester’s Innovative Energy Consultants bagged the Sustainability Award.
There were three winners from Lancashire: Young Entrepreneur of the Year is James Calderbank / Transform Hub Group in Preston, Lune Valley Pods in Heysham won the Service Excellence Award and the Diversity and the Inclusion Award by Ability Consultancy (NW) Ltd, in Preston. OEE Container Technology Ltd in Carlisle, Cumbria, was named as Larger Small Business of the Year.
FSB North West Regional Chair, Holly Bonfield, said: “Many congratulations to the winners of this year’s FSB North West Celebrating Small Business Awards. They are the heartbeat of our economy and deserved to be championed at today’s celebrations in Manchester.
“There was such a strong field of amazing entrants so all the finalists and everyone who entered deserve the utmost recognition as leaders of innovation, tenacity and vibrancy that characterises our small business community.”
Paul Wareham, North West Policy Representative, said: “FSB works hard, locally as well as nationally, supporting our members and representing small businesses at every level of government. I salute them and it’s a pleasure to be able to recognise and applaud their achievements.
“It’s been thrilling to see so many North West businesses enthusiastically take part in our awards and the sheer scale and diversity of those who entered is a testimony to the vitality of the small business community. Best of luck to all our winners for the UK national award finals in May.”
The FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards celebrate the best small businesses from the length and breadth of the country, offering national recognition for those who have made the biggest impression over the past 12 months. Twelve area awards finals take place between February and April, with the UK finals taking place at a VIP attended awards ceremony on Thursday, 18 May in Birmingham.
The full list of FSB North West Celebrating Small Business Award winners 2023:
- Start-Up Business of the Year (sponsored by Cashplus Bank)
Winner: Positive Planet, Manchester, Greater Manchester
Positive Planet is a profit with purpose business. They work with businesses and organisations of all sizes and sectors to help them better understand their carbon emissions and how to reduce them. Transforming the way businesses engage with environmental sustainability, they make services simple, accessible, and affordable. They believe in doing the right thing for the planet and are proud to play their part in the global effort to save it. As employees, they encourage each other to grow. As a company, they get actively involved in communities, raising awareness of climate change and the importance of sustainability.
- Micro Business of the Year (sponsored by Tyl by Natwest)
Winner: B-Compliant, Sale, Greater Manchester
Manchester-based B-Compliant provides bespoke financial compliance support to FCA-registered businesses across the UK. It was launched in 2018 by director, Vicky Pearce, to provide tailored advice and guidance to those who do not have the skills or resources internally. The firm continues to go from strength-to-strength, due to existing client loyalty and new business through referrals and recommendations. It is already receiving industry recognition, having been shortlisted in the Professional Adviser
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year (sponsored by Salford Business School / University of Salford)
Winner: James Calderbank / Transform Hub Group, Preston, Lancashire.
James is the CEO of Transform Hub Group which currently operates 20 women’s Transform Hub and men’s Hub locations around the UK. James created his first Hub in 2018 in his hometown of Preston after realising that his city had the highest suicide rates in the UK. He wanted to do more for clients than an hour’s PT session every week so created a small group exercise studio that focused on exercise, nutrition, mindset and community connection to improve both the physical and mental wellbeing of busy over 30s who were underserved in the fitness industry. The Transform Hub has enjoyed rapid growth by taking bold action in a downturned economy to secure reduced rates or buy more locations at a cheaper cost. In the last 2 years James has supported the opening and continued operations of 16 new Transform Hub and Men’s Hub franchises, taking the total locations to 20 and creating 58 total jobs. The impressive growth caught the eye of Andy Bell and Fergus Lyons, founder and former managing director of FTSE 250 investment platform, AJ Bell. The pair have announced a £1m investment into Transform Hub which the team plans to use to secure 100 sites and employ 300 people by 2025.
- Family Business of the Year (sponsored by Aldermore)
Winner: The Weston Biltong Company Ltd, Weston, Cheshire.
During a family holiday to visit parents in South Africa in 2008 Sheryl and Ryan Walker fell in love with Biltong. On their return and having eaten their reserves the commenced their own business and The Weston Biltong Company was born. In 2021 they also launched ‘The Cheshire Biltong Company’ which specialises in exotic Biltong including Zebra, 3 of 3 Kangaroo, Ostrich & Venison and have seen tremendous success.
- Larger Small Business of the Year (sponsored by The Arch Company)
Winner: OEE Container Technology Limited, Carlisle, Cumbria.
OEE Container Technology Limited (OEE) is a UK based data-driven engineering and manufacturing technology company offering services to the packaging industry. OEE specialise in beverage cans, beverage ends, food cans, food ends and packaging equipment. Their services include value-added support, process improvement, project management, turn-key projects, automation and control, bespoke machine parts, precision tooling, training and development and design and modelling. They work across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, and Asia.
- Service Excellence Award (sponsored by GC Business Growth Hub)
Winner: Lune Valley Pods, Heysham, Lancashire.
Lune Valley Pods has evolved from a small farm shed tinkering with bits of wood then to now being a 35,000 sqft factory with over 30 employees and delivering over 150 glamping pods annually. Lune Valley Pods, with four immediate family, make a range of high-quality glamping pods suitable for personal and business use, manufactured in Lancashire and supplied across the UK.
- Business Product and Innovation Award (sponsored by GC Business Growth Hub)
Winner: Social Sense Limited, Manchester, Greater Manchester.
Social Sense is an award-winning Social Marketing and behaviour change specialist based in Media City. Their innovative approach has led to measurable improvements in health attitudes, perceptions and health behaviours since 2011 across the UK and internationally. They bring a solid track record of behaviour change achieved in the areas of Social Norms, Healthy Relationships, Mental Resilience, Dementia and Social Housing. Their programmes continue to demonstrate positive outcomes whilst using data and trends to develop solutions further. They have supported more than 200,000 people since setting up in 2011.
- Sustainability Award (sponsored by HSBC UK)
Winner: Innovative Energy Consultants, Manchester
Founded in 2021, IEC’s mission is to help businesses grow sustainably. They do this by providing Energy & Sustainability consulting services to businesses across the UK and by supporting Clean Tech start-ups across Europe and North America commercialise their innovation. IEC’s Sustainability Consulting helps businesses quantify and understand their carbon footprint and identify opportunities to reduce their environmental impact. IEC has provided Growth Consulting to start-ups in industries ranging from smart buildings to induction heating to carbon sequestration. They act as a bridge between Clean-Tech technology providers and end-users to implement innovative solutions to reduce the environmental impact of business.
- Self-employed / Freelancer of the Year
Winner: Chris Garland Training, Knutsford, Cheshire.
Chris Garland Training is a multi-award winning medical and safety training partner to a wide variety of organisations including FSTE 100 companies, schools, Government organisations, charities, independent shops and individuals UK wide. They offer over 150 courses ranging from first aid to pre-hospital care, fire and evacuation to mental health, health and safety to food safety. They also develop and deliver bespoke courses for clients with specific training requirements and offer private course booking options too.
- Exporter of the Year
Winner: Thermmark Ltd, Congleton, Cheshire.
Thermmark Ltd is a manufacturer, distributor, installer and exporter of markings worldwide. Set up in 2014, it has evolved substantially over the past eight years and they are now proud to have a diverse workforce of 29 employees split over production, assembly & packing, sales, design, marketing, accounts and installation coordination. They manufacture their Thermoplastic material in house so that they can control all aspects of the process and the quality of product which customers receive. They supply playground and road markings to both trade and end users, who also have the option of installation via subcontracted installers.
- Diversity and Inclusion Award
Winner: Ability Consultancy (NW) Ltd, Preston, Lancashire.
Claire Buckle is a retired Para-Athlete who has worked in the equality and inclusion sector for over 20 years. With lived experience and a passion to make a difference to those with disabilities, they set-up Ability Consultancy (NW) Ltd in 2019. The company provides a range of equality and diversity education/training services, specialising in disability awareness and para sport. The income streams for the business include a fantastic new interactive disability app, online training courses and bespoke company support.
- Community Award
Winner: Box Power CIC, Bolton, Greater Manchester.
A Community Interest Company and the UK’s only philanthropic not-for-profit energy Third Party Intermediary – which basically means that they source, broker and manage the energy for businesses across the UK, with 100% of the profits they generate being donated to charities that they feel passionate about. To date over £1m has been donated to over 30 different charities. At present they have partnered with 24 charities that deal with a wide array of community issues, ranging from hospices and animal shelters to charities that help children and families with disabilities, women’s refuges and many more.