The agonising wait is almost over.

The winners of the in-Cumbria Business Awards 2019 will be unveiled at an glittering awards ceremony next week – the culmination of what has proved to be yet another record-breaking year from the county’s premier business awards.

Business leaders will gather at The Halston in Carlisle, next Thursday, November 15, for a night celebrating Cumbria’s business prowess, hosted by Channel 4 broadcaster and author Cathy Newman.

This year sees the introduction of three new honours: Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Green Ethical Business Award, and the Flying the Flag for Cumbria Award, which builds on the category it replaces, Best Exporter.

Along with other long-standing categories, the winner of the Robin Burgess Lifetime Contribution to Cumbria Award will also be revealed on the night.

The coveted award was renamed in honour of former chief executive and chairman of CN Group, Robin Burgess, who died in February.

Luke Dicicco, editor of in-Cumbria, said the awards were the perfect way to celebrate Robin, who led the company for 30 years before finally stepping back following the takeover by Newsquest.

“Robin was a prominent and respected figure in Cumbria’s business community and our annual business awards one of the highlights in his extremely busy calendar,” he said.

“He was eager to celebrate the achievements and successes of businesses in Cumbria – no matter what size or sector.

“Renaming one of the biggest award categories after Robin is the perfect way to recognise his legacy.”

While the winner of the award will be decided by the in-Cumbria team, victors in the other 17 categories up for grabs have been decided by an impressive roster of expert judges.

Finalists have been on tenterhooks since the shortlist was revealed in June.

And there was no let up when, when the following month, expert judges accompanied by representatives from Newsquest Cumbria – publishers of in-Cumbria – hit the road to meet all of the finalists and decide who will emerge victorious in 2019.

It meant covering thousands of miles to meet businesses and entrepreneurs hailing from a wide spectrum of industry sectors who had already made it through a tough shortlisting process.

Mr Dicicco added: “The awards attracted a record response – building on the huge success of the previous two years since they were launched.

“Their popularity and the weight entrants give to the awards was reflected not just in the quantity but the quality of applications. All of the finalists have done tremendously well to get this far.

“They made the expert judging process the toughest yet – a real testament to the time and effort they made.

“And I’m also eternally grateful to all of our expert judges who approached the task at hand with real gusto and embraced it with the challenging yet friendly approach that ensures we reward the very best in business.

“I can’t wait for everyone to come together in Carlisle later this month for the big reveal and to celebrate just how fantastic Cumbria is as a place to do business.”

in-Cumbria Business Awards 2019 finalists

Businessperson of the Year

  • Michael Pemberton, BEC, Cleator Moor
  • John Coughlan, TSP Engineering, Workington
  • Anand Puthran, McMenon Engineering Services, Workington

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

  • Nicky Gordon, Genesis Homes, Penrith
  • Lisa Dykes, iCan Health & Fitness CIC, Carlisle
  • Vanessa Lana Brown, VL Aesthetics, Carlisle

Apprentice/ Trainee of the Year

  • Alex Dawson, Wood/ i3 Decommissioning Partners, Sellafield
  • Jasmine Scaife, Kaefer, Sellafield
  • Daniel Jackson, Innovia, Wigton

Best Large Business

  • i3 Decommissioning Partners
  • Bender UK, Ulverston
  • theidol.com, Penrith

Best SME

  • More Handles, Carlisle
  • Taylor and Braithwaite, Appleby
  • FlexMR, Milnthorpe

Best New Business

  • Lakeland Fleet Management, Carlisle
  • Genesis Homes
  • 32 West, Ulverston

Best Family Business

  • Woodward SHE, Lillyhall
  • Stan Sherlock Associates, Carlisle
  • Scallywags, Carlisle

Best Professional Services Company

  • Prospus Group, Carlisle
  • Bendles LLP, Carlisle
  • Responsive Ltd, Workington

Best Tourism and Hospitality

  • Tullie House, Carlisle
  • Holbeck Ghyll, Windermere
  • Pure Cottages Group, Windermere

Best Manufacturing

  • Clark Door, Carlisle
  • McMenon Engineering Services
  • TSP Engineering

Flying the Flag for Cumbria

  • Clark Door
  • English Lake District China Forum, Bowness
  • Trade Copiers, Penrith

Best Customer Service Excellence

  • theidol.com
  • David Allen IT Solutions
  • Bender UK

Best Innovation

  • Bender UK
  • Actif-ET, Dalston
  • Innovia Films, Wigton

Best Best Green/Ethical Business

  • Ullswater ‘Steamers’, Glenridding
  • Newlands Adventure Centre, Keswick
  • H&H Reeds, Penrith

Best Marketing Strategy

  • James Cropper, Burneside
  • Old Vicarage Residential Home, Grange-over-Sands
  • Lakeland Leather, Ambleside

Best Community Involvement

  • Oxley Group, Ulverston
  • Sealy UK, Aspatria
  • OneAIM, Moor Row