Yorkshire gold

BRANDON Medical is among four Yorkshire firms awarded gold for entrepreneurial business excellence.

The Leeds-based medical firm won the accolade along with Brighouse-based Ploughcroft, Wellhouse Leisure in Huddersfield and Wakefield-based m2R as part of Business Link’s ‘Bucking the Trend’ competition.

The six silver runners-up are Benchmark Recruit in Sheffield, Nathalie French in Ulceby, OLMC, HGV operator licence advice in Wakefield, Strulch, garden mulch technology in Burley-in-Wharfedale, Hipperholme and Lightcliffe Childcare in Halifax, and AW Hainsworth with their ‘green coffins’ in Pudsey.

Around 60 businesses entered the competition, which was launched to highlight the region’s most innovative firms.

The prizes are six months of mentoring for the four gold winners and one-off mentoring sessions for the six silver runners-up from some of the region’s top names in business business ambassadors as appointed by Rosie Winterton – Minister for Yorkshire and Humber.

The first prize winners will receive six months mentoring from Gordon Bridge, chief executive of AESSEAL, Kevin Whiteman, chief executive of the Kelda Group, Jan Fletcher, chairman of Montpellier Estates, and Nimble Thompson, regional chairman of the Institute of Directors.

Helen West, chief executive of Business Link, said: “Nearly 60 businesses entered this competition with really inspiring stories of innovation and rethinking businesses not just to survive in the current market, but for many making it their best year ever. We hope this will give others in our region ideas for their own businesses.”

She added: “A number, like Wellhouse, had lost most of their order book overnight and had to reshape the whole business – Wellhouse is now hiring out its stock of camper vans but also looked across the board to maximise their existing skills and resources.

“Others grasped a very new opportunity and exploited it innovatively but managed the risks tightly- such as m2r exploiting relocation into Dubai.”