Leeds businesses awarded for growth and success during Covid pandemic

'Bill's Big Bash', hosted by Leeds business coach Bill Squires, was held at Bowcliffe Hall on September 14.

He brought together small business owners for an award ceremony to recognise their achievements during a turbulent 18 months.

Judging the entrants and presenting the awards were Chris Black of Sound Leisure, David Baggaley of Leeds City Council and Stuart Watson.

The Growth award was presented to Paul Ven-Heeswyk from Crucial Engineering, which specialises in supplying and servicing Aluminium doors.

Since working with Bill, Paul has hired ten people and set goals to bring the business into the future, with its expansion earning him the award.

Other award winners include Bill and Trish Barton from Barton Legal, who scooped the Innovation award for their uptake of video conferencing during the pandemic, running monthly webinars with more than 200 attendees from 60 different countries.

Lesley, Allan and Mattie Dawson from Children's Corner Childcare received the Community Impact Award for their services during the pandemic, which included free mother and baby yoga classes and giving their space to adoption groups and social services, free of charge.

"The event was just fantastic," Bill, who works under the ActionCOACH franchise, told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

"It was great to get everybody together face-to-face and they loved getting back together again.

"It was important to say thank you to the clients, but most of all to celebrate their success. Individually and collectively, they've done remarkably well despite the hardships and the difficulties we've had over the last 18 months.

"It's really hard for business owners at the moment, so they all need someone who can help them. There's lots of people out there who are helping businesses at the current time and it's absolutely crucial.

"The business owners are the heroes, they've done the work - it's them and their teams that have made this event happen.

"It's great for the local economy across Leeds - these businesses are growing despite the current climate. What's not to celebrate about that?"

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.