Teesdale Business Awards – records tumble at biggest ceremony to date

RECORDS tumbled at one of the dale’s biggest award ceremonies.
More nominations were put forward than ever before at the sixth annual Teesdale Business Awards – with familiar faces and new names picking up trophies at The Witham, in Barnard Castle, last Wednesday (February 15).
Voiceover artist Emma Hignett and business advisor John Atkinson kept proceedings moving.
Before the prize-giving, Mr Atkinson painted an optimistic picture for the dale’s year ahead.
He added: “I am delighted to report, despite a bumpy year politically, the enthusiasm for business has not waned.
“The quality which has grown shows how well social enterprises across Teesdale are doing.
“Whatever we read about Brexit, it’s clear uncertainty is not always good news but it will create opportunities for those prepared to seize them.”
There was a nervy half hour waiting for MBE and County Durham entrepreneur Sara Davies to arrive for her keynote speech.
But her entrance halfway through the evening was lauded by many for breaking up the awards procession.
The owner and creator of Crafter’s Companion, a multi-million pound business, revealed how important teamwork, self-belief and “a little bit of luck” were on the road to success.
She said: “I have worked very hard and it used to really annoy me when people told me how lucky I'd been.
“But for every one start-up there are probably 30, 50 or 100 with just as good an idea and just as much drive who did not make it.
“Everyone needs that tiny little bit of luck – it just depends what you do with it.”
Organiser Peter Dixon was delighted with how the evening had panned out.
He said: “Everyone has been working very hard – it’s been immense to bring them all together.
“People are proud and they deserve to be proud about what they're achieving.
“When you think what’s happened in the past year with a new Prime Minister and Brexit there has been a huge amount of change.”
Mr Dixon praised the array of firms and past winners who’d returned to the fray.
He added: “We find it nice how former winners want to sponsor it in the following years.”