2024-winners
Economic Development and Growth

Boost-supported businesses among BIBAs 2024 winners

Nine businesses who have previously received growth support from Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub were among the winners from 20 categories at this year’s Be Inspired Business Awards (BIBAs) in Blackpool last Friday.

The awards, which are organised annually by the North & Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, celebrate success stories among Lancashire’s community of businesses and entrepreneurs. This year’s headline sponsor for the awards was Lancashire County Council.

Category winners who have previously received Boost support included Lytham St Annes-based care services provider Clifton Homecare, which was supported by Boost in 2023 and won the Employer of the Year award as well as Complete. Online which has worked with Boost on several occasions during its growth journey and won this year’s Digital and Marketing Business of the Year Award.

The other winning companies which have received Boost support were Additive Manufacturing Solutions (Micro Business of the Year), HSE Advice UK (New Business of the Year),The Street Monkeys (Leisure and Tourism Business of the Year) and B&M Longworth Ltd (Innovative Business of the Year).

Cllr Phillippa Williamson (1)

Cllr Phillippa Williamson

Cllr Phillippa Williamson, leader of Lancashire County Council, said:

“Lancashire has a diverse and growing economy and our headline sponsorship of this year’s BIBAs is about recognising and celebrating the achievements of our county’s businesses.

“The fact that so many winners, recognised by an independent panel of expert judges as leaders in their field, have previously received support from Boost as well as Lancashire County Council’s business support services, is a testament to the quality of the advice our county’s companies can access.

“Boost has a team of expert advisers who are ready help your business grow, innovate, develop a new product or service. Contact them today to understand how they can help you.”

See a full list of this year’s BIBAs winners here: https://www.thebibas.co.uk/winners-and-gallery/2024-winners

***This news release was issued by Freshfield PR on behalf of Boost, Lancashire's Business Growth Hub***

Notes to editors

For further information, contact the Boost media office at Freshfield (01772 888400):

 

About Boost:

Led by Lancashire County Council, supported by Government and ten local authorities, Boost is Lancashire's Business Growth Hub, one of 41 Growth Hubs in the UK.

Boost’s mission is to help Lancashire businesses thrive.

Since 2013, Boost has supported over 14,000 businesses, helping create 3,500 jobs while adding £100m to the local economy.

From September 1 2023, Boost is funded by Lancashire County Council, Department for Business & Trade (DBT), and UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocations from ten Lancashire local authorities (Boost local authorities partners). UKSPF is part of the succession to EU structural funds.

Boost’s local authority partners are Blackburn with Darwen Council, Burnley Council, Chorley Council, Fylde Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, Pendle Borough Council, Preston City Council, South Ribble Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council and Wyre Council.

Boost offers six core services including:

  • Business Support Helpdesk: A service that offers advice and guidance on available local, national and sector business support.
  • Business Advice Service: A service that matches a business with an adviser and includes a business review, a business support action plan, business clinics and regular updates.
  • Growth Catalyst: A service to help established businesses ready to take their business to the next level.
  • Scale to Thrive: An exclusive service for businesses over £1m turnover looking to scale 20% year on year.
  • Flying Start: A service that helps people start a new business or grow a young business.
  • Access to Finance: A service that helps businesses find and secure the finance and funding they need.

Boost also provides an online directory of all funded business support available to Lancashire businesses, as well as an event directory, a knowledge hub and information about private sector business support.


The Business Support Helpdesk offers advice and guidance to anyone thinking of starting a business and all new and existing businesses in Lancashire. The Helpdesk provides information on local, national and sector programmes, and funding support help businesses start, grow and scale. The Business Support Helpdesk is available to businesses across all Lancashire local authorities.

Businesses located in the ten Boost local authority partner areas are eligible for the Business Advice Service, Flying Start, Growth Catalyst, Scale to Thrive and Access to Finance.

The Boost business support services will be delivered by a number of specialist local and national business support organisations including Growth Lancashire, Selnet and the Growth Company, with Lancashire County Council delivering the Access to Finance service.

The Growth Hubs across England are designed to provide local businesses of any size or sector with access to advice and support via an impartial, funded, single point of contact. They bring together national and local support from across the public and private sectors to help businesses find the right support for their needs, at the right time, at any stage of the business journey.