IT was a night of celebration at this year's Bradford Means Business Awards.
The awards, held on Thursday night, saw 340 of the brightest in the Bradford business community attend a black-tie event held at the new venue Walton View Hotel in Drighlington.
After a drinks reception, Duncan Wood, former ITV Calendar presenter, opened the awards evening by saying: "Bradford has so much to offer and it's going places. There are so many amazing talents in the room tonight. Everybody deserves to win."
In the end, there were 12 worthy winners of a wide cross-section of awards which Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe said celebrated "the success and achievement of businesses in the district”.
Bradford restaurant chain MyLahore first claimed the SME Business of the Year Award before finishing off the night with the Business of the Year accolade.
After winning the first award, Ishfaq Farooq, director of MyLahore, said: “This is a great recognition for all of our team including everyone behind the scenes.
“We’d like to dedicate this award to our late uncle, Mohammed Munir, who sadly passed away two weeks ago.”
Then after winning the Business of the Year, Mr Farooq said: “This is a very big award. It’s a great testament to our 500-strong team across all of our sites.
“MyLahore isn’t just about business, it’s about doing good for the community.”
The awards presentation was kickstarted when the ACS Group won the first accolade of the evening – the Sustainability Award.
“This means the absolute world to us,” said Sacha Jones, director of the ACS Group.
“We're about making the world a better place.”
The Bradford Teaching Hospital and Bradford College Partnership scooped the Social Mobility Award.
Keiran McCrickard, a science manufacturing technician at Solenis, won the Apprentice of the Year Award.
Prospect Change won New Business of the Year and then Shipley-based online retailer sportsshoes.com received the Innovation Award.
Law firm Schofield Sweeney, which employs 155 people, won the Employer of the Year accolade.
Thorite, which started in 1850, celebrated its 173rd year by winning the Family Businesses of the Year.
Thorpe Edge-based Bloomin Buds won Creative Business of the Year and its director Katie Mahon said it is "changing lives on the estate with all of the hard work its team puts in every day".
Acorn Stairlifts, based at Steeton, took home the Manufacturer of the Year prize, and another of Bradford's oldest manufacturers, Christeyns, won the Health and Wellbeing Award.
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