Mix of business is county's strength says Fylde business woman

Dawn Cheetham, the owner of Commercial Kitchen Services (CKS) and president of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said this week’s Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs, would showcase the best the county had to offer.

On Friday night, the awards will hand out 19 prizes in front of a sell-out audience of more than 1,000 people at The Blackpool Tower.

Dawn Cheetham said the diversity of the county’s industrial base was central to its strength and allowing it to continue to prosper securing employment for the long-term.

She said: “The BIBAs puts the spotlight on the very best of the best that Lancashire has to offer and when you look at the breadth of the awards categories, you realise the underlying strength of our economy.

“We have a range of hugely successful manufacturers, service business, those with strong domestic markets and those having huge success selling overseas, as well as a whole range of large, small and medium-sized businesses in between.

“It is this mix which enables us to weather downturns in certain sectors and continue to thrive providing jobs and prosperity to the people of Lancashire.

“I cannot wait to see which businesses and individuals are successful at this year’s BIBAs and sharing those celebrations with so many people on Friday night.”

The ceremony will be the culmination of months of work by the awards’ organisers, the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, and its suppliers which provide everything from flowers and cheese to lightning and flooring to make the night a success.

The Chamber is spending £140,000 with its suppliers for a further year providing a direct boost to Lancashire’s economy. It has also confirmed that “a number of household names” will be among those taking to the stage for the ceremony with a celebrity host and musical acts confirmed.