2022 Chamber Goole and Howdenshire Business Excellence Awards to go ahead

AFTER a year out due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers of the Chamber Goole and Howdenshire Business Excellence Awards are delighted to announced that the 2022 event will go ahead.

Announcing the news this week, the organising committee, which is made up of volunteers from the local business community, confirmed that the decision would, of course, be subject to any changes in Government restrictions during the coming weeks and months.

The committee’s Chairman, Garrey Haase, explained: “After the disappointment of not being able to hold last year’s event due to the pandemic, we deliberated long and hard about the 2022 event. Our decision to proceed reflects the desire of the committee to get back to doing what we do best after our year out, but also the appetite of local businesses to get back to some degree of normality.

“It goes without saying that we will be watching national developments closely, but we felt that our annual celebration of everything that’s great about doing business in the Goole and Howdenshire area is needed now more than ever as we emerge from an incredibly challenging 18 months.”

For 2022, there’s a special award to recognise and celebrate the ways in which businesses and organisations have risen to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s also a new Team of the Year Award to recognise the many ways in which staff pull together to create the best outcome for their company and one another.

There are eleven different categories for businesses to enter in all but, as in previous years, the independent judging panel will also be asked to select an Overall Business of the Year Award (sponsored by Link Agency) from the entrants, and the organising committee will nominate someone to receive the Tim Richardson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Garrey added: “When we came together to announce the winners of the 2020 awards 18 months ago, none of us could have anticipated what was ahead of us. Yet, there are some wonderful stories of resilience and creativity that have emerged from this most difficult of times, which is why we’ve introduced our special Covid-19 Award to recognise businesses that have radically rethought the ways in which they work, coming up with creative ideas and solutions.”

The categories for 2022 are as follows:

• Innovative Business (sponsored by Press Association).
• Team of the Year (sponsored by Leisure Timber Ltd.).
• Covid-19 Award (sponsor to be confirmed).
• New Business of the Year (sponsored by Danbrit Holdings Ltd.).
• Small Business of the Year (sponsored by MNA Group Ltd.).
• Large Business of the Year (sponsored by Chronicle Publications Ltd.)
• Contribution to the Community – Business (sponsored by H. Walton Ltd.)
• Contribution to the Community - Charity/Voluntary sector (sponsored by Jos. Richardson & Son Ltd.).
• Environmentally Friendly Business of the Year (sponsored by Siemens).
• Marketing Excellence (sponsored by Fil).
• Self-employed/Micro Business of the Year (sponsored by Hull & Humber Chamber of Commerce).
• Training and Development Award (sponsor to be confirmed).

It is hoped that the black tie awards ceremony, which is organised in partnership with the Hull and Humber Chamber of Commerce, can be held at Goole High School on Friday 25 February. The event will be hosted by the BBC’s Harry Gration, who has compered the event since it was first launched.

Organisations entering the awards are encouraged to enter more than one category and ‘go all out’ to showcase their strengths and skills. For more information and entry forms, visit the website at www.goolebusinessawards.co.uk. The closing date for entries is in December (the exact date will be confirmed nearer the time).