Nominations still open for bigger and better Harrogate Advertiser Business Excellence Awards

The Harrogate Advertiser Excellence in Business Awards, now in its 18th year, aim to identify and celebrate the best of local business within the community.

With the success of our 2022 event, which saw over 365 people attend, we are planning on this year being even bigger and better than before.

Dale Stores were awarded the Best Rural Business award at the glittering ceremony last year and their reaction to winning said it all.

The award, sponsored by the HRH Group, celebrates the important role that businesses contribute to the rural economy and community.

Owned by Matthew and Andrea Walwyn, the shop and Post Office located in Birstwith offers the local community a variety of locally sourced fresh produce and services.

On winning the Best Rural Business award, Matthew said: “We were all absolutely thrilled to have won this award, particularly given the standard of business we were up against.

“This award recognises our team, our suppliers and our customers and they were all as thrilled as we were to have Birstwith celebrated in this way.

“We absolutely love what we do and to receive an award for doing it is extra special."

Like many businesses across the Harrogate district, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the way that they worked and they had to adapt their services to ensure that they could still operate effectively.

Matthew added: “Andrea and I felt very privileged to be in a position to have had an effect on so many people’s lives during the pandemic and we consider this to be one of our biggest achievements to date.

“We are so well supported by our customers and our suppliers and they understand that the more that they support us, the better we can make Dale Stores.”

The Harrogate Advertiser Excellence in Business Awards 2023 will take place at the Pavilions of Harrogate at the Great Yorkshire Showground on Thursday, May 25.

The awards are open to businesses in every sector trading anywhere within the circulation areas of our series of newspapers.

This area covers the whole of the Harrogate District which includes Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Ripon, Masham, Nidderdale and the Washburn Valley – as well as Wetherby and Tadcaster.

The accolades up for grabs at this years Harrogate Advertiser Excellence in Business Awards include:

- Best Leisure, Retail or Hospitality Business of the Year

- Technology and Digital Award

- Rural Business of the Year

- Diversity and Inclusion Award (NEW)

- Sustainability Award

- Tourism Award

- Employee Health and Wellbeing Programme (NEW)

- Best Independent Business

- Best SME Company

- Large Business of the Year

- Apprentice/Trainee of the Year

- Business Leader/Entrepreneur of the Year

- Business in the Community

Nominations are now open and will close on Friday, April 14.

Tickets for the awards ceremony are £85 per person and includes arrival drinks, three course dinner and entertainment.

To make a nomination or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.nationalworldevents.com/hba-2023/