Our nominees have been waiting patiently through the pandemic to see if they have been crowned Yorkshire's winners and it's almost time for the big reveal...
Today we highlight finalists from our Independent Business. New Starter Business, Business Woman, and Business Man categories. Well done to everyone that was nominated and we can't wait to announce the winners Friday 2nd July on our social media platforms.
Independent Business of the Year
Sponsored by DWB Wealth Consultancy LLP
Al's Emporium
A family-run business situated in Halifax giving over 100 small businesses an opportunity to sell their wares in a friendly, efficient environment and a lovely atmosphere with Al and Simone on hand to help and advice.
Cabinets are available to rent monthly and the holders have been able to display their handmade, antique and collectables in this wonderful setting in the Halifax Piece Hall.
PHD Marketing
Jo Stephenson established PHD Marketing in 2014. She was Vice President of Marketing & R&D at LINPAC Group, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire and the company was for sale (later bought by Klockner Pentaplast). Jo spotted an opportunity - rather than see the jobs lost, she took 2 staff and set up PHD to outsource the marketing function. She received a 3-year contract, saving the company £300k, and ended up working with them for 5 years.
Today PHD Marketing is an independent marketing and communications company serving local, national and international clients with a turnover of £1M employing 13 local staff from apprentices to senior managers. The business is growing - seeking 3 new staff now - has a great reputation in the print, packaging and plastics sectors and investing in apprentices to grow future talent.
Little Beau Sheep
Little Beau Sheep Ltd was launched in 2015. The brand celebrates the best of British wool through a unique range of hand-made laundry and body care products. Using pure British wool, Founder of Little Beau Sheep, Sarah Turner and her team hand-make a range of natural and novel gifts and goodies in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.
Since its launch, the business has grown from strength to strength and been featured on BBC Countryfile and national magazines and newspapers. Sarah was recently awarded the £10,000 2019 annual Wool Innovation Prize by the Worshipful Company of Woolmen and the Company of the Merchants of the Staple of England.
Toy Box Private Nursery
Opened in 2003, the business and its employees work hard to provide care to children from wide diverse background’s with additional needs. They strive to provide outstanding care to children and support their families. Last year Toy Box was awarded Outstanding from OFSTED which is a massive achievement.
They work closely in the community supporting local businesses and work alongside the Wakefield BID to improve the city of Wakefield. They also work with local colleges providing opportunities for young adults to gain experience, either through an apprenticeship scheme or just giving someone a chance to do voluntary work.
New Starter Business of the Year
Sponsored by Elegance UK
BM Fitness
Bethany Marson started her business at 17, completely from scratch. With no help at all she created her own HIIT classes and created the BM Fitness brand. 2 nights a week her classes take place and take in between 15-20 people per night.
At such a young age to take the jump and do something like this completely single-handed is something to be proud of. Beth works with regular clients to help them lose weight, gain confidence and get fit, they all agree Beth has changed them for the better.
Pan Sushi
Pan Sushi is a family-run business created from a love of making Sushi, Japanese and fusion foods. Bringing a sushi fusion delivery service to Wetherby and surrounding villages giving locals a healthier choice when ordering a takeaway and bringing more diversity to food in the area.
With a mission to offer fresh and handcrafted Japanese and fusion sushi, made to order and delivered to your door, Pan Sushi uses the very best and locally sourced, sustainable ingredients, working with local independent suppliers in Wetherby. Caring for the environment, their tasty Sushi is delivered in eco-friendly packaging enabling them to use less plastic and non-biodegradable materials.
HQ Hair
Sue Carter’s dream was to open her own salon, having worked in the industry since she was 16yrs old. Last year Sue realised the dream and HQ Hair was created. Based in Moortown, Sue has already grown her business offering new jobs to two team members.
Sue has gained fantastic feedback since opening with many of her clients supporting her new business.
Her passion and ambition are infectious, her commitment to continual development is impressive, and desire for further growth exciting.
Roots of Yggdrasil
Simon Town saw the need to make exercise available to everyone. This came about because of his own personal journey with mental health. The original aim was to arrange classes in rural, impoverished areas taking people out of social isolation and help build support groups. Classes are self-sustaining but needed to create a profitable revenue stream to grow.
Classes are called Corporate to Community. Their aim is to work with employees to promote their mental and physical health. Conduct postural assessment, teach station-based exercise, offer services of sports masseurs, Indian head massage etc at work and nutrition advice. This promotes staff wellbeing, prevents illness and prolongs working life.
Business Woman of the Year
Sponsored by Deep Blue Telecom
Eleanor Tomlinson
At 21 years old and only finishing her Illustration degree this year, Eleanor's worked tirelessly to build up and establish her business alongside a full-time degree. Within less than 3 years she has turned her hobby into an art and illustration business that has over 20 independent retailers and galleries across the UK stocking her stationery and homeware designs, as well as originals.
She's completed commission work that's travelled to New York, Germany and Australia to name a few. Her artwork was even spotted by the owner of the nationwide clothing brand Joules last Christmas, since then she has been invited to become a 'Friend of Joules' with her artwork and designs on the Joules website, alongside their own products.
Emily Newstead
Emily Newstead CEO of Bow Gifts is a beacon of positivity. A grafter. A business owner - from ironing board to board room and in no more than five years a winner of 6 awards and exports to over 20 countries. But. Emily battles severe endometriosis and suffered a devastating miscarriage last Christmas.
Throughout her own pain, Emily has continued to be a mentor to so many. An inspirational thinker - a provider of an analogy for every situation. All without a thought for herself, she is accomplished, successful and an inspiration to female entrepreneurs worldwide.
Lucy Arnold
Lucy Arnold from Sheffield runs a hugely successful active wear company called ‘Lucy Locket Loves’. Lucy became a fully qualified personal trainer and opened her own training studio. However, in 2017, Lucy suffered a back injury which meant she was unable to work full-time training her clients.
Whilst off work, Lucy formulated the idea of designing and selling her own gym clothes. Lucy’s active-wear range was created to suit all body types and sizes. Now, 2 years down the line, Lucy Locket Loves is expected to turn over £1.5m in 2019 and now employs staff and has a loyal and growing customer base. Lucy has a huge social media following with over 60,000 fans ... however, what Lucy has created is more than just a following, this community is a support network for people to be open about their mental health, body image, trials and tribulations.
Tammy Banks
Tammy Banks, Director of Taye Training has created and is publishing Training for Influence; an accreditation for training organisations which outlines standards that should be adhered to so that those receiving the training are guaranteed a consistent service at an exceptionally high standard.
Along with her three current jobs, Tammy has taken the time to write a book and train Taye facilitators to become accredited so that she can take one step closer to her goal of transforming the lives of those who are marginalised, vulnerable and/or have complex needs for the better. Tammy has passion in spades and a person who has given so much back in return for a chance that she received to change her life.
Business Man of the Year
Sponsored by Pugata
Ben Jacobs
Ben Jacobs formed Stoneacre Properties at the age of 18 years old which he has grown into a recognised small business. During this time he has formed various other property-related companies and encourages others to fulfill their hopes and ambitions by including them within business activities and directorships and job promotions from within the company.
Ben has provided many jobs to individuals in Yorkshire and continues to invest in the local area and inspire others to achieve their goals and believe in their potential and deliver quality service to clients in the Yorkshire region.
Philip Stock
Phil Stock set up H2H Flooring prior to leaving the Armed forces in 2017. He set the business up with no funding or help and he is now a leading master fitter in West Yorkshire area offering affordable floors installed to the highest standards.
From leaving the army Phil has managed to get through to the semi-finals carpet fitter of the year 2018 and 2019. He has managed to promote and take lead in bringing 100% recycled underlay into the industry ensuring over 70% of material comes from sustainable recycled products.
Steve Betts
Steve’s total commitment and dedication to the start-up of NestledIn Estate Agents this year has been inspirational, and the success to date is a true reflection of this. To take a brand new estate agency from 0 properties to almost 150 in 6 months is outstanding and the popularity of this estate agent is demonstrated from the busy diaries and the volume of interest already achieved via social media.
Steve has gone the extra mile and more to provide an honest and innovative service to his clients, researching the market and techniques/tools, dedicating endless hours, to ensure he can provide something that is over and above what else is available out there, using his many years of experience.
Stuart Reynolds
After leaving the Royal Marines, Stuart set up Protected Courier Services with just a motorcycle and no investment. Stuart has worked around the clock gaining knowledge of the courier industry along the way.
Three years on and PCS run a fleet of vehicles ranging from articulated lorries to vans which shows how fast their family run business is growing and a credit to their employee's and our loyal customer base. Stuart still works up to 18 hours a day driving the business forward to secure a renowned name in the haulage industry.
Winners announced Friday 2nd July 2021 on our social media platforms!
If you have reached our finalist stage congratulations! Fancy attending our 2022 awards to be presented with your certificate by one of our sponsors on our red carpet or receive your winner's award on stage please contact us to book your tickets events@yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk
We would like to thank everyone for their support during these unprecedented times and we wish you all the very best of luck ahead of our special announcement.
Disclaimer: All information provided for the biographies above were submitted during the nomination process between June 2019 and November 2019. Yorkshire Choice is not responsible for any errors or omissions.