The third Cumbria Family Business Awards take place on Friday 8th March 2019 at the stunning Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa on the shores of Windermere.
Over one hundred family businesses from across the county apply each year in the hopes of winning a coveted CFBA which has seen winners large and small including; Bells of Lazonby, Pioneer Foodservices, Herdy and Miles-Moore Ceramics. A rigorous judging process sifts through the written applications before a round of face to face interviews helps the judges make their final decisions.
The main judging panel for 2019 includes some of Cumbria’s brightest and most well-respected business leaders. Head judge Graham Lamont Chief Executive of award-winning family run accountancy firm Lamont Pridmore will lead the panel of seven expert judges chosen for their expertise across a wide range of business sectors.
The panel comprises; Grahame Latus Chief Executive of Enterprise Answers, Jacqui Jackson Director of Thomas Jardine & Co and international travel blogger Zoe Dawes The Quirky Traveller . New judges for 2019 picking up the mantel thanks to their family business prowess are Anthony Smith Managing Director of Progression Solicitors, Ben Berry Director of English Lakes Hotels, and Rachel Halliday Director of Stephenson Halliday. Paul Andrews Director of Family Business United plays a different judging role overseeing applications from London as the category winners will automatically enter Family Business United’s national Family Business of the Year Awards which last year saw a record six Cumbrian winners.
Head judge for 2019 Graham Lamont explains; “Judging these awards is a real privilege and I’m looking forward to learning more about the people and businesses that make Cumbria the vibrant community we all know and love. Lamont Pridmore is a family run firm so we really understand the unique challenges facing family businesses, and the pressures and rewards that come with working with family members. I encourage family businesses of all shapes and sizes, both new and established organisations, to enter the Cumbria Family Business Awards and shout about their achievements.”
The Outstanding Cumbria Family Business of the Year Award will be chosen from the category winners, all of which are announced on the awards night. The other main award, the Employee of the Year recognises the contribution that team members make to family businesses and applications for this category will be subject to both a judging panel and open to the public vote. Over four thousand votes were cast for 2018 finalists with Lynn Logan of Heart of the Lakes picking up the gong. Employment specialists NXT Recruitment will be judging all the nominated employees separately and will be holding an exclusive lunch for all the successful finalists and their bosses in January.
Simon Glencross, Director at NXT said: “NXT Recruitment is delighted to be supporting the Cumbria Family Business Awards once again this year. As a family business ourselves, it is incredibly important to us to support platforms which promote and highlight family businesses and the significant role they play in society and the economy.
As sponsor and judge of the Employee of the Year category, we will be recognising the contribution of exceptional employees. As both a family business and a recruitment agency, we understand only too well that there is nobody more important in helping you to achieve the vision you have for your organisation than the team around you. Outstanding employees can transform a business; dramatically fast forward its trajectory, and be the key to its success. We cannot emphasise enough how excited we are to receive applications and to meet and host the finalists. We wish everyone of them the best of luck”.
Applications open at midnight on 11th October. There are a range of free workshops available to help people with their applications, the workshops have been place taking place across Cumbria since mid-September and places are still available between now and November. More information can be found on the website www.cumbriafamilybusinessawards.uk
