THE first Craven Business Awards – organised by the Craven Herald and Pioneer and LOCALiQ – was a huge success.

So much so that plans are already being drawn up for next year.

After hundreds of nominations for awards and 30 shortlisted individuals and businesses, the competition was whittled down to the 10 winners who were expertly revealed on the evening by TV presenter Kate Walby.

Steve Lowe, sales director at LOCALIiQ, said: “The Craven District Business Awards was a great event for us to organise with so many local businesses entering that were vastly surprised at the number of entries we received, those that made it to the shortlist and the dinner where already winners as they had been selected ahead of the others in the category. We were also surprised at the number of people turning out to support on the night, with more than 200 guests on the night.

Craven Herald:

“Running these types of awards is all about showcasing brilliant businesses, to give the people who run the winning businesses a pat on the back, maybe help them win new business, retain their staff or simply build their brand reputation, so the more that enter the more we can showcase.

“None of this can happen without support of our sponsors, we wanted to do the awards properly and created first class video content to support the night as well as bringing TV presenter Kate Walby in to host the evening for us, all of which we need sponsorship to help fund part of the event organisation.

“We have already started to look to 2024 and where and when we will run the awards, and want to thank everyone for supporting this year and we hope to see you again in 2024.”

A spokesman for Craven District Council said: “Craven Business Awards recognised and celebrated the achievements of both our new and established businesses and all they have achieved in what has been one of the hardest economic and social periods in recent history.

“The council was delighted to sponsor the sell-out event, which heard some amazing success stories. The awards night was also a good example of how the public and private sector can come together to support the growth of local business networks and drive growth in local economies. Congratulations to the winners.”

To find out the winners of all 11 awards categories get your Craven Herald this week to see the 16-page awards supplement.