A superyacht furniture maker and a cheesemonger known all around the world are among this year’s North West recipients of the King’s Awards for Enterprise.
The awards aim to honour the 海角视频’s best businesses and their role “in growing our economy to improve lives”.
Of 197 awards announced this year, 24 went to businesses in the North West – with 17 recognised in the International Trade category, six for Innovation, and one for Sustainable Development.
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There are recipients from the region’s thriving chemicals, digital and manufacturing sectors – as well as from firms showcasing artisan food production.
Gareth Thomas, Minister for Services, Small Businesses and Exports said: “There are some exceptional businesses from the North West recognised in this year’s King’s Awards for Enterprise: from Createc’s cutting-edge sensor technology to myHappymind’s inspiring work improving the mental well-being of children.
“I wish the winners every success as they continue to grow, innovate and prosper, and commend the invaluable contributions they have already made to communities at home in the North West and abroad, helping to boost the 海角视频 economy.”
Here’s the full list of this year’s winners:
Innovation
My Happy Mind Ltd
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My Happy Mind, of Alderley Edge, has been honoured for its “NHS-backed, science-based programme to improve mental well-being and resilience in children”. The business was founded by Laura Earnshaw, who quit a top job at AstraZeneca to build the myHappymind platform.
She said: “It is such an honour to be the recipient of a King's Award for Enterprise. I started myHappymind as a Mum on a mission to ensure all children receive a preventative mental health curriculum as part of their primary education, and we're well on our way to achieving that.
“Hundreds of thousands of children now access the myHappymind curriculum in their schools and we're endorsed by the NHS. To be recognised with this award marks a hugely important milestone on our journey and will only spur us on to reach every single child in the 海角视频 and beyond with our work.”
ApconiX Ltd
Alderley Edge-based ApconiX has been honoured for its work improving drug development safety and success rates through its innovative iSLA lab procedure. It previously won awards for International Trade in 2021 and 2023.
Detectronic Limited
Detectronic, based in Brierfield near Nelson in Lancashire, specialises in wastewater monitoring. It was recognised this year for its MCERTS accredited multi-sensor fluid level monitoring solution which delivers “high quality data seamlessly under surcharge conditions”.
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Dunphy Combustion Ltd
Rochdale’s Dunphy Combustion specialises in developing and building industrial boilers and burners. It won an innovation award this year for its low NOx (nitrogen oxide) burner using hydrogen and natural gas as a fuel source in industrial applications.
Hurst Green Plastics Ltd
Whalley-based Hurst Green Plastics supplies its innovative Twin Bins inventory management system to clients ranging from Airbus and Bombardier to BAE Systems and the RAF. Its citation says its system is “world-leading” in its key fields of aerospace, medical and rail.
Sky Medical Technology Limited
Biomedical devices company Sky Medical Technology, based at Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus, has been recognised for its work developing the Geko wearable device. It says the device “reduces pain fast and doubles the rate of healing chronic wounds”.
International Trade
PHMG TOPCO LIMITED
Global audio branding giant PHMG has been honoured for its huge global growth, with some 80% of its revenues coming from overseas.
PHMG pioneered “on-hold marketing,” playing music and messages to customers waiting on phone calls. It was founded in a Chester portable cabin in 1998 as PleaseHold 海角视频 – and today employs 800 people worldwide, working with clients including Adidas, TAG Heuer and Continental.
Some 450 of its people are based in the 海角视频 including at its headquarters in Trafford Park – near another famous client, Manchester United. Last month the company became an Employee Ownership Trust, saying the move would keep it “independent, focused, and future-ready”.
PHMG’s biggest overseas market is the USA. Despite tough conditions globally, the group has “maintained consistent, consecutive growth in international sales”.
Grant Reed, founder and CEO, said: “This award is an incredible honour and a testament to the dedication of our entire team. To be recognised just days after announcing our transition to employee ownership makes this achievement even more meaningful. It reflects the bold and ambitious spirit of PHMG — a company driven by its people and its purpose.”
Createc Ltd
Research and technology business Createc is celebrating its fourth awards win. Createc was formed in the Lake District in 2010 and today employs 30 people, including 13 PhDs, to help companies and universities to develop commercial applications based on their ideas. It won Innovation awards in 2019 and in 2024, and previously won an International Trade award in 2018. It has been honoured again for its innovative sensor technology, robotics, and AI.
William Newsom, CEO of Createc, said: “I am exceptionally proud of our team for earning our second King’s Award for International Trade. This achievement highlights our commitment to innovation and excellence on a global scale.
“Our first King’s Award for Innovation was a testament to our technical creativity and this new accolade reinforces our dedication to expanding our international reach. This award means an incredible amount to us as a company, and we look forward to continuing to deliver exceptional results for our clients around the world.”
Adlib Audio Ltd
Merseyside’s Adlib Audio offers sound, lighting, video, and cinematic filming services to European and US artists and events. The group, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, has worked with artists including Sam Fender and The Courteeners and at venues including Bletchley Park.
Airpure International Limited
Bury-based Airpure designs and makes a range of vegan-friendly home and car fragrance products, exporting to dozens of countries worldwide. The company, founded in 2008, first received the International Trade award in 2020 – when it said “may there be many more to come”.
Cheese Matters Ltd
Lancashire’s Cheese Matters says its mission is “Ensuring U.K. speciality cheeses appear on supermarket shelves worldwide because Cheese Matters!” Owner John Carr is one of the best-known figures in the British cheese industry, being awarded an OBE in 2018 for his export success, and his company previously picked up an International Trade award in 2022.
Clear Value Trading Ltd
Oldham’s Clear Value Trading was founded in 2009 by wholesale and import specialists to supply toiletry and household products to retailers domestically and globally. Its operations include a Far East import business and the company says it is “constantly sourcing from all over the world branded clearance on toiletry and household items”.
Hasgrove Limited
Hasgrove’s Interact Software business offers cloud-hosted, out-of-the-box intranet software, as well as support and training services. The Manchester business operates globally with offices in Dubai, Warsaw, New York and Tulsa, and secured an International Trade award in 2019.
Neal Jones Furniture Ltd
Neal Jones’ firm makes bespoke furniture for superyachts and luxury homes around the world. The business is based in Lancashire but works with a network of hundreds of designers and makers “championing British craftsmanship and manufacturing”.
Oliver Valves Ltd
Oliver Valves was founded by Michael Oliver in 1979 in his Hale garage. Today the group ships to some 50 countries worldwide from its sites in Knutsford, supplying valves and instrumentation primarily to the global energy sector.
Pimberly Limited
Ecommerce software specialist Pimberley supplies product information management (PIM) systems to brands including Build A Bear Workshop, Interflora, JD and Craghoppers. The Manchester business was founded by Martin Balaam in 2016 and has been recognised as one of the 海角视频’s fastest-growing tech scaleups as part of the Tech Nation Upscale 5.0 programme.
PortSwigger Ltd
The internet security specialist was founded by Dafydd Stuttard, who launched the first version of its flagship Burp Suite in 2005 “with actual burping sounds”. The PortSwigger group now has more than 70,000 customers at 16,000 enterprises, with customers including Nasa, Amazon and Microsoft. The group also operates a Web Security Academy and a research team that works to discover and solve security vulnerabilities online, and received an International Trade award in 2019.
Rainbow Cosmetics (Manchester) Limited - Own Brands Division
Rainbow Cosmetics was founded by husband and wife team, John and Heather Sharman, in 1990 and remains family-owned with son Stephen now its MD. It distributes affordable perfumes and cosmetics in the 海角视频 and overseas, with its own brands including Sunkissed cosmetics, exported to 31 countries worldwide, and Q-KI, a product aimed at influencers and make-up entrepreneurs that is exported to 19 countries.
Reagent Chemical Services Ltd
Runcorn chemicals manufacturer Reagent is a third-generation family firm, founded by Derek and Norma Millard in 1977 to supply local chemicals giant ICI. Today it supplies bespoke chemicals solutions and services globally, this year investing in its Halton factory to double its storage capacity and to install a solar farm.
Roberts Recycling
Family-run textiles business Robert Recycling says “our top priority is keeping textiles out of landfill” – and it collects, sorts and resells tons of fashion waste a week. It works with 100 海角视频 and EU brands, while its global distribution network stretches as far afield as Chile, Senegal and India.
Signum Aviation Ltd
Signum Aviation offers aviation support and flight planning services to the private aviation sector around the world. It’s based at Barton Aerodrome and also has offices in the USA, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. The company was founded in 2007 and plans more than 20,000 flights a year.
The Config Team Ltd
Supply chain specialist The Config Team was founded by Andrew Moses in 1994 as Oneman Ltd – renaming itself when Mr Moses recruited his first colleagues. Today it provides innovative software products, technical consultancy and support for customers worldwide.
Yordas Group Ltd
Yordas, based at the Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University, supports customers with the global safe and sustainable management of chemicals. It has bases in Germany, Canada and Turkey, and has now set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in Japan, Yordas KK, to grow its business there.
Sustainable Development
The Lakes Free Range Egg Company Limited
The Lakes Free Range Egg Company was founded in 1997 by David and Helen Brass on their family farm near Penrith. The company has been honoured for the second time, having previously won a Sustainable Development award in 2018, for its work producing and packing eggs “to the highest industry-leading animal welfare and environmental standards”.