The event, which raised £182,000, was held on 17 November and was supported by Channel 4’s SAS Jason Fox, who was keynote speaker for the afternoon; and Isabel Webster of GB News.
The annual occasion brings together the best and brightest of the region’s businesses to celebrate success and support children living at a disadvantage across the country. The money raised will support the thousands of local children that rely on Yorkshire Children’s Charity support.
Taking place at the Queen’s Hotel, the awards also provided an opportunity to recognise achievement in business, and network with the region’s leading business professionals from a range of sectors. Yorkshire Children’s Charity was delighted to welcome Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox, start of Channel 4’s ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’ and former Royal Marine Commando, as keynote speaker.
This year’s judging process was more difficult than ever, as judges whittled down over 1,000 top performing Yorkshire-based companies to just 21, judged against a range of criteria including their ESG impact. Winners were announced for the following categories: Large Corporate of the Year, Mid-Market Corporate of the Year, ESG Excellence, Innovation in Business and Business Leader of the Year.
The winner for Large Corporate of the Year was Cranswick PLC. Cranswick is a food production company with thirty-three years of consecutive dividend growth, while its ambitious sustainability strategy, ‘Second Nature Sustainability’, is intrinsic to everything the team does.
Mid-Market Corporate of the Year was Kelling Group, a leading provider of specialist equipment to growing infrastructure and end markets, with a robust business strategy, rapidly emerging green credentials and an impeccable financial record.
Harrison Spinks won the ESG Excellence award. The company is a luxury mattress and bed producer that lives its owner’s values, an innovative business that has driven a lot of change, stating that “Together, we are passionate about creating a happier and healthier world”.
The Innovation in Business was won by Gripple LTD & Loadhog LTD – proud to be Yorkshire and having been built top-down and bottom-up. The exceptional culture created by employee ownership results in sustainable growth, with a demonstrable long-term track record of success.
Business Leader of the Year was awarded to Edward Naylor of Naylor Industries PLC. Commenting on the award win, Edward said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to accept this award on behalf of our fantastic team. Not many family businesses make it into the fourth generation and it’s thanks to a huge team effort that we have reached our 133rd year whilst still growing and prospering. We’re really grateful to the judges for acknowledging all our hard work.”
Also up for grabs was the Young Entrepreneur Challenge. Yorkshire Children’s Charity partnered with LEAP, giving teams of Key Stage 4 students a £250 grant to start a business, with mentorship provided by professionals from across the region. Carr Manor Community School was announced as the winner of the Yorkshires Young Entrepreneur Challenge, after creating ‘Drip’, a business selling personalised water bottles, with Dixons Trinity Chapeltown and Lawnswood School taking the runners up awards.
Charlotte Farrington, CEO at Yorkshire Children’s Charity: “We were delighted to be hosting our second Yorkshires. Business Awards and to have Foxy in attendance, who was able to bring an incredible energy to the event. The awards give us a unique opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the region’s best business minds, as well as acknowledging Yorkshire’s future business stars with the Young Entrepreneur Challenge. If that wasn’t enough, the event also gathered vital funds to support the thousands of local children who rely on our support”.
Images provided by Prohibition PR. Main image: Jason Fox.
