{"id":176052,"date":"2025-06-11T15:57:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176052\/"},"modified":"2025-06-11T15:57:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T15:57:15","slug":"local-winners-among-those-celebrating-business-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/176052\/","title":{"rendered":"Local winners among those celebrating business success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Three hundred people assembled at Dallas Burston Polo Club, in Southam, Warwickshire, for the glittering ceremony last week, hosted by Kirsty Leahy and Karen Jones.<\/p>\n<p>The evening\u2019s entertainment also included performances by Birmingham\u2019s Elmhurst Ballet School and singers Pippa Langhorne, Colin \u2018Sugarfoot Mills\u2019 and Ruth Kelly.<\/p>\n<p>Local winners included Doreth Abrahams, of Laydidee\u2019s Natural Skincare in Wolverhampton who was recognised for <strong>Excellence In Health &amp; Wellbeing \u2013 Beauty and\u00a0<\/strong>Debbie Roscoe for <strong>Charity of the Year.<\/strong> Debbie heads up Arrive Alive in Birmingham \u2013 a charity that provides vehicles and equipment, including defibrillation and bleed kits, into communities.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/08de2601-265f-4fc9-aebe-239f0de33300.jpg\"   alt=\"Siobhan Rowland and Hester Maclean of Edwards Wealth present the Excellence In Health &amp; Wellbeing Award to Doreth Abrahams\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Siobhan Rowland and Hester Maclean of Edwards Wealth present the Excellence In Health &amp; Wellbeing Award to Doreth Abrahams<\/p>\n<p>Chris Boehm, of Leap IT in Hockley Heath was named <strong>Inspirational Man of the Year.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Debbie Roscoe said: \u201cI\u2019m incredibly honoured and humbled that Arrive Alive has been named Charity of the Year by the Ladies First Awards. This recognition means so much not just to me, but to everyone who has stood beside us in our mission to save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery second counts when a 999 call is made. Thanks to the unwavering support of our community, we\u2019re able to fund lifesaving vehicles and equipment that help ambulance services and frontline responders reach those in desperate need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/4e4b28fd-120f-4261-b50d-ec7c81f84a62.jpg\"   alt=\"Chris Boehm receives Inspirational Man of the Year Award.\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Chris Boehm receives Inspirational Man of the Year Award.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Boehm said: \u201cWinning Inspirational Man of the Year is an incredible honour. This isn\u2019t just my award &#8211; it belongs to the team at Leap IT, my family, and everyone who stood by me during the toughest times. I\u2019ve always believed that real success comes from lifting others up, staying true to your values, and never giving up no matter how hard the journey gets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also recognised were: Natalka Hunka of Aspire HR &amp; Training Consultants in Knowle <strong>(Start-Up of the Year);<\/strong> Gabriela Goldberg, of George Green LLP in Birmingham <strong>(Rising Star &amp; Future Leader);\u00a0<\/strong>and Maxine Faulder of About Face in Solihull. <strong>(Influencer of the Year)<\/strong>. Maxine left her job to take over her husband\u2019s business following his sudden death from complications with prostate cancer last year.<\/p>\n<p>Maxine Faulder said: \u201cI&#8217;m thrilled to have won the influencer of the year award. I dedicated this to Cliff my beloved husband R.I.P. AboutFace will live on in his legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a2695f9c-510c-4ddf-bdad-9cc4c2079df8.jpg\"   alt=\"Gabriel Goldberg receives her award from Corinne Mo.\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Gabriel Goldberg receives her award from Corinne Mo.<\/p>\n<p>Doreth Abrahams said: \u201cThe award is a testament to our commitment to quality, sustainability and holistic care. This recognition celebrates the brand&#8217;s dedication to using all-natural, ethically sourced ingredients that nourish the skin while promoting overall wellness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gabriela Goldberg said: \u201cComing from a humble background, this recognition means more than I can put into words. It\u2019s a powerful reminder that with passion, perseverance, and purpose, anything is possible. I\u2019m truly grateful for the journey so far and incredibly excited for what lies ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Natalka Hunka said: \u201cI am shocked, humbled, and overwhelmed to be chosen as the winner of the Business Start-Up of the Year Award for Ladies First 2025 after only being in business a few months. My category was a very tough one with many nominations and finalists and to be chosen from those was fabulous.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/592362e3-7c51-48a0-b6c8-02f33809d92d.jpg\"   alt=\"Maxine Faulder receives her Influencer of the Year Award from Dave Sharpe.\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Maxine Faulder receives her Influencer of the Year Award from Dave Sharpe.<\/p>\n<p>Locally, <strong>Special Recognition Awards<\/strong> went to: Paola Spiga, of Glam &amp; Glow Beauty Lab in Hockley Heath; Daniel Skerma, of PA Forum, Birmingham; Gemma Mills, of Born2Sing, Birmingham; and Ronaldo Hare, of Men\u2019s Prosperity Club C.I.C, Birmingham.<\/p>\n<p>Paola said: \u201cI\u2019m incredibly honoured to have received the Special Recognition Award, marking a proud moment as Glam and Glow Beauty Lab becomes a multi award-winning salon. This award is not only a celebration of my business success, but also a recognition of the support and contribution I\u2019ve made through Ladies First Networking helping to uplift and connect fellow women in business. Being part of a community that champions collaboration over competition is truly powerful, and I\u2019m proud to be growing alongside it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gemma Mills said: \u201cI am overwhelmed with the recognition at Ladies First! I think the work they all do is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/9d632146-5512-40f1-aee1-95d2e0fb6a5b.jpg\"   alt=\"Amanda Chalmers of Chalmers News PR presents a Special Recognition Award to Gemma Mills of Born2Sing\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Amanda Chalmers of Chalmers News PR presents a Special Recognition Award to Gemma Mills of Born2Sing<\/p>\n<p>Ronaldo Hare said: \u201cI was struck with surprise when I heard my name called for the Special Recognition Award, but that feeling quickly turned into joy as I walked to the stage and heard our accomplishments being celebrated. I\u2019m truly honoured to be recognised and to continue championing men\u2019s mental well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Big winners on the night included the <strong>Business Woman of the Year<\/strong>, Abigail Edmunds from Stratford and\u00a0Elinor Perry, of Pentlands Accountants, in Leamington who was awarded <strong>Lifetime Achievement Award<\/strong>. Lianne Kirkman was awarded the <strong>Community Champion<\/strong> prize after founding The Esther Project in Leamington and Jade Horton of Merkaba Holistics, in Stamford was awarded\u00a0<strong>Woman of Courage<\/strong>. Jade went on to become a successful reiki master after losing her two children and herself suffering life-changing injuries in a devastating fire in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>The Awards, which were unveiled at The House of Commons in February, are headed up by Ladies First director Tracey McAtamney from Balsall Common and sponsored by Edwards Wealth, in Berkswell; Alsters Kelley Solicitors; Pertemps Network; IXL Centre; Mallory Court Country House; Bia\u2019s Kitchen Show and Sandhu Foods.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ca639ed5-1d00-4363-9054-482e609e9580.jpg\"   alt=\"Paola Spiga, left, of Glam &amp; Glow Beauty Lab, receives a Special Recognition Award along with Bianca Rodrigues-Perr from Vicky Farmer &amp; Tracey McAtamney.\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Paola Spiga, left, of Glam &amp; Glow Beauty Lab, receives a Special Recognition Award along with Bianca Rodrigues-Perr from Vicky Farmer &amp; Tracey McAtamney.<\/p>\n<p>Tracey said: \u201cOur Ladies First Awards celebrated the achievements of both women and men in our community, honouring those who have gone over and above in their business and in their personal lives. A massive congratulations to all of our winners and finalists. It was your night to shine!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was most definitely an unforgettable evening celebrating excellence, raising vital funds for our local breast cancer wards and enjoying first class entertainment throughout.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would like to express a huge thank you to our sponsors, partners, members and awards team, in particular Atul Lakhani and his staff at the IXL Dallas Burston Polo Club and incredible Sanjay Food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/90689a3a-5d66-4e2a-83c0-58ea59a4805a.jpg\"   alt=\"Natasha Blacklock presents a Special Recognition Award to Daniel Skerma\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Natasha Blacklock presents a Special Recognition Award to Daniel Skerma<\/p>\n<p>The evening included an auction and raffle, which raised around \u00a35,000 towards Sue Cressman\u2019s ongoing fundraising for new breast cancer equipment for Birmingham hospitals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Other winners were:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tracy Benbow and Wendy Coris, of Fabulous Suppers in Warwickshire; <strong>(Family Business of the Year);<\/strong> Beverly Clarke, of Spear Travels in Stratford <strong>(Excellence In Professional Services);<\/strong> Harpreet Stevenson, of Collective Companion, in Warwickshire <strong>(Excellence In Marketing)<\/strong>; Amanda Chalmers, Chalmers News PR in Warwick <strong>(Excellence In Media)<\/strong>; Alana Patchett, of Purple Monster, in Warwick <strong>(Excellence In Technology &amp; Innovation)<\/strong>; Clare Haynes, of Wildfire in Leamington <strong>(Business Consultant\/Coach of the Year)<\/strong>; Preeti Lekhi, of Seymours Solicitors in Leamington <strong>(Women In Property)<\/strong>; Sophie Howe, of Comtec Translations in Leamington <strong>(Inclusive Leadership)<\/strong>; Cynthia Tamraz, of Caf\u00e9 Desa in Leamington <strong>(Excellence In Independent Food)<\/strong>; Chris Pickering, of L Pickering &amp; Sons in Warwick <strong>(Businessman of the Year);\u00a0<\/strong>Lindsey Gillespie, Pawsome Pets Grooming, Coventry (<strong>Trailblazer of the Year);\u00a0<\/strong>Donna-Maria Grant, Tummy2Mummy Midwifery &amp; Scanning Services, Hinckley (<strong>Excellence In Health &amp; Wellbeing);\u00a0<\/strong>Suzanne Virdee, of Redditch <strong>(Inspirational Woman Award);<\/strong> Bianca Rodrigues-Perry of Bia\u2019s Kitchen Show in Leamington <strong>(Special Recognition);<\/strong> Rebecca Boulton, a teacher at Finham Park 2 School in Coventry; <strong>(Special Recognition)\u00a0<\/strong>Iliada Rossi of Rossi Studio Ltd, Warwick and Emily Burton, of The Valley, Evesham <strong>(Special Recognition)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/a7ca2298-8308-4fbe-abda-bd998af94f28.jpg\"   alt=\"Ronaldo Hare received a Special Recognition Award.\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Ronaldo Hare received a Special Recognition Award.<\/p>\n<p>Full list of winners can be found here: <a href=\"https:\/\/ladiesfirstnetwork.co.uk\/2025-winners\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/ladiesfirstnetwork.co.uk\/2025-winners\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Photos by Everybody Smile Photography.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/9e7270b5-e3ca-4937-ab75-aaeaa71492eb.jpg\"   alt=\"Chris Boehm of Leap IT in Hockley Heath presents an Excellence in Technology Award award to Alana Patchett of Purple Monster.\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Chris Boehm of Leap IT in Hockley Heath presents an Excellence in Technology Award award to Alana Patchett of Purple Monster.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/74eaca6a-739c-489d-a3f0-911c46bf9871.jpg\"   alt=\"Ladies First Inspirational Awards\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"w-full max-w-none\"\/>Ladies First Inspirational Awards<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three hundred people assembled at Dallas Burston Polo Club, in Southam, Warwickshire, for the glittering ceremony last week,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":176053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,748,393,4884,16,15,4350],"class_list":{"0":"post-176052","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-your-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114665557131859164","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=176052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/176053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=176052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=176052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=176052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}