From voiceover production to hair regrowth, providing fizz to flowers, a dozen companies have been celebrated at the Yorkshire and Humber Celebrating Small Business Awards.
The UK FSB regional heat was held at the Queens Hotel in Leeds, ahead of a national celebration in May.
Also successful was a family run micro-brewer, an expanding high street fashion retailer and a biomedical company helping to save millions of lives.
Read more: Northern Lincolnshire Business Awards return for 2023
Simon Williams, FSB regional chair for Yorkshire, Humber and the North East, said: “Congratulations to all this year’s Yorkshire & Humber winners - a massive well done! We’ve had a record level of entries this year and the standards just keep getting higher and higher, so it’s true testament to our winners this year and reflective of the vibrancy, innovation and tenacity that makes up our small business community in our region.
“It’s been thrilling to see so many of our 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 here. The best of luck to all our winners for the UK national award finals in May.”
Liz Drury, won the Self Employed / Freelancer of the Year category, with the North Lincolnshire voiceover artist grateful to BBC radio presenter Elly Fiorentini for bringing her category forward. She had confided in her that her train times meant she was in danger of missing the unveiling, unaware she had come out top. She had a Barton on Humber Ghost Walk to lead after the ceremony, and had to skip the celebratory group photograph to keep her ghoulish appointment.
“It was a huge surprise to win,” she said. “I’d entered in the autumn and talked about how I worked over a number of voiceover genres, but since the pandemic had concentrated on e-learning, a real growing market, that has grown even faster.”
She also provided her studio as a service to Grimsby-based actor Thomas Turgoose to record radio advertising for Sky when train disruption left him unable to get to London, with the quality seeing several repeat uses of her Ulceby facility.
Of the gesture to move the order, Liz said: “As luck would have it I was sitting next to the presenter for the meal, and I mentioned to her that I was worried I would need to leave before the end. Well of course, she knew that I was a winner, so she brought my category forward to make sure I got my award before I had to run off like Cinderella from the ball!”
BusinessLive publisher Reach Plc is media partner for the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards, which celebrate entrepreneurial success across the UK.
A toal of 12 area awards finals take place between now and April, with the UK finals this year taking place on May 18 in Birmingham.
Roll of honour:
Micro Business of the Year: Reel Film, Wetherby
A specialist video and animation production company with skilled, qualified experts in bringing brands and businesses to screen. Their films connect people with businesses, and they have completed hundreds of production projects across nine countries for leading UK and international brands across numerous sectors. Their expert team includes expert producers, editors, camera operators, motion designers, managers, creatives and drone pilots – all the skills needed to turn your brief into high- quality creative work.
Exporter of the Year: Watermans Corporate Enterprises Ltd, Rotherham
Founded by Gail and Matt Waterman in 2012. From just one natural product created at their kitchen table - ‘Grow Me’ shampoo - Watermans has grown into a multi-million-pound organisation that has experienced extraordinary success through its export capabilities and helped people all over the world who suffer from hair loss, cancer and alopecia.
Business and Product Innovation Award, sponsored by RTC North: Robotas Technologies Ltd, Harrogate
A second-generation family-owned manufacturing company that’s been supplying the electronics production industry for over 35 years. Their products guide the manual assembly of electronic circuit boards, used in a thousand different applications. Design, development, production, testing, and manufacturing are all based in the UK. Robotas delivers and instals products to companies all over the world with representation in 12 different countries supporting the global market.
Sustainability Award, sponsored by Oh Yes! Net Zero: Tong Garden Centre, Bradford
One of Yorkshire’s biggest independent garden centres occupying a 14-acre site near Tong village, Bradford. It employs 247 people across its horticultural, retail, catering and play divisions at its destination garden centre. The Tong’s team care passionately about how they do business and are proud to have a robust ‘Climate and Community’ commitment that details their pathway to sustainability, the active role played in the local community and the caring culture they have created for their people.
Larger Small Business of the Year: Innergy Group, Leeds
The company is the fastest growing supplier of LPG bottled gas for the Flogas brand in the UK. Innergy has its own brand of drinks dispense gases, welding gases, medical and food grade gases. It also has a wide range of solid fuels products and supplies more than 300 petrol station forecourts throughout Yorkshire. With six sites the team pride themselves in being the best place to work in the region.
Family Business of the Year: Harrogate Brewing Co
A family-run microbrewery producing quality craft Yorkshire ales. Owners Julie and Joe work alongside their children Matthew (sales / deliveries), Martha (branding, social / events) and son-in-law Liam (brewer). Starting in January 2020 has meant a long period of transformation from the original cask-only business. Their simple mission is to make amazing beers for customers to enjoy while creating memories with their own families.
Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Dr Kirsty Smitten, MetalloBio Ltd, Sheffield
Developing the concept for a new antimicrobial compound during her PhD at Sheffield University, Kirsty went from student to chief executive, developing a team, attracting investment and learning business skills along the way. MetalloBio develops a novel anti-microbial platform technology to both prevent and treat antimicrobial-resistant infections that are predicted to cause 10 million annual deaths globally by 2050
Start-Up Business of the Year: LJs Boutique Ltd - Doncaster
Launched as a small retail shop with a big dream - to be the number one retailer of colourful, attractive clothing and accessories for plus size and curvy ladies in the UK. Since becoming Limited in February 2021, it has gone from strength to strength, and is a successful, profitable, and growing employer, with three busy site locations in the city. LJs consistently demonstrates to the region and beyond that local retailers can thrive post-pandemic.
Service Excellence Award: Children’s Corner Childcare
A family business specialising in early years education and childcare with 10 settings in Leeds and Harrogate offering a unique approach. The latest nursery has a yoga studio, available free of charge, for new parents to meet, support each other and enjoy baby yoga and massage. It also has a quiet room with wifi for parents to work if they want to avoid the rush hour traffic.
Community Award: Environmental & Management Solutions Ltd, Hull
Food redistribution operation working with communities and local businesses to alleviate food and fuel poverty in and around Hull.
Incorporated as a charity and operational since 2009, it operates a shop in Preston Road Village Centre, operating on short-dated supermarket food, while residents and community groups are engaged in ‘grow your own’ initiatives.
Diversity and Inclusion Award: Projex Solutions Ltd, Brighouse
The engineering company specialises in design, project management, and compliance,
in highly regulated industries, helping manufacturers to innovate, pharmaceutical companies to save lives, and chemical companies to keep workers safe. They employ workers aged from 19 to 75 from across diverse backgrounds and from apprentices through to graduate level.
Self-Employed / Freelancer of the Year: Liz Drury Voiceovers, Ulceby
A one-woman business run from home in North Lincolnshire producing voiceovers for a diverse range of projects including corporate videos, e-learning, telephone systems, announcements for events, audio tours for museums, documentaries, commercials and more. Delivering for clients across the UK and around the works from her home studio.
