Best in business celebrated at High Sheriff of Cheshire Awards for Enterprise

The annual High Sheriff of Cheshire Awards for Enterprise took place at the University's Queen's Park site, the home of the Chester Business School on the evening of Thursday, March 19.

Now in its 19th year, the event is organised by the High Sheriff of Cheshire in partnership with the University of Chester.

The welcome speech was given by Cheshire’s current High Sheriff, Joëlle Warren MBE DL, who talked about the awards and how they celebrate innovation, initiative and impact across Cheshire, Halton and Warrington.

Attendees were treated to an inspirational keynote speech by best-selling author Paul McGee, known as The SUMO Guy, a motivational speaker who has helped well-known clients such as Manchester City, Tesco, Virgin, Adidas and Specsavers. His SUMO business, based in Warrington, offers a range of support for companies, entrepreneurs and education establishments.

The winners were:

• The Autism Wellbeing Project CIC was the winner of the High Sheriff’s Award for Promoting Social Mobility, sponsored by the University of Chester. Runner-up was The Ground Up Project. 
• Taking home the High Sheriff’s Award for Community Engagement, sponsored by Cheshire Community Foundation, was The Rossendale Trust, with Stable Minds CIC named as runner-up. 
• Collecting the High Sheriff’s Award for Innovation, sponsored by EA Technology, was Equicantis, while the runner-up was Jyrney. 
• The winner of the High Sheriff’s Award for Family Business, sponsored by EMR, was Land of Beds. Runner-up was Fish and Chips at Weston Grove. 
• The High Sheriff’s Award for Young Person in Business, sponsored by Barlows, was won by Jack Green, with Amber Pane announced as the runner-up. 
• Barrow Electrical won the High Sheriff’s Award for Excellence in Enterprise, sponsored by Mornflake, with Bio & Me named the runner-up. 
• The winner of the High Sheriff’s Award for Sustainability, sponsored by Grosvenor, was Chester Zoo. Runner-up was Tatton Estate.

The awards were closed with a note of thanks from Lady Redmond MBE, the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire.

High Sheriff of Cheshire, Joëlle Warren MBE DL, said: “The evening was about celebration; every organisation and individual represented had something worth celebrating.

“One of the things I celebrate about these Awards is the partnership behind them. The collaboration between the High Sheriff and the University of Chester reflects something very powerful – that business and academia work best when they work together. When talent, ideas and real-world experience come together, that’s when communities truly thrive. The Business School was a fitting place to hold an event that looks not just at success today, but at the leaders and enterprises of tomorrow.”

Kirstie Simpson, Associate Professor and Dean of Chester Business School, added: “It is always a great honour to host these awards at the University of Chester’s award-winning Business School. We are dedicated to preparing the workforce of tomorrow, with many of our graduates contributing significantly to the Cheshire region. A heartfelt thank you once more to everyone who helped make the awards such an enormous success."