Our 2024 Winners!

Across nine categories, judged by a panel of industry experts, as well as the publicly-voted “People’s Choice” award, 10 businesses were crowned winners on the night, with 20 others receiving “Highly Commended” accolades. 

Categories included Sustainability, Property & Construction Excellence, Digital & Tech Innovation, Service Excellence, Young Director and Employer of the Year, as well as Best Small Business, Fastest Growing and the much-coveted Family Business of the Year. Each award was sponsored by a Midlands business, many of which are previous winners.

Lincolnshire businesses were well represented with Grantham-based Red Rhino Crushers, which designs and builds high-quality crushers and associated machinery, taking the top prize of Family Business of the Year, while Spalding’s Freckleface won double awards in both Best Small and Fastest Growing Family Business categories for its contemporary, ethical and plastic free home fragrance ranges. Lincoln’s Streets Heaver Healthcare Computing also won in the Employer of the Year category.

The Best Digital Tech Innovation prize went to Coinadrink in Walsall and The Deeley Group in Coventry won the Property & Construction Excellence Award. Vale Clearances from Orston in Nottinghamshire received the Service Excellence Award, Derby’s HSG UK won the award for Sustainability and the Young Director of the Year title went to Dean Willshee, from Willshee's Waste & Recycling in Burton On Trent.

Charlotte Perkins, Group Managing Director of award organisers, Wilsons, said: “The judging panels have had a tough job in picking winners across the board. With so many stand-out entries, there were several heated debates to decide on the Winners and Highly Commended for each category. Every business that is a finalist should be incredibly proud of their achievements and celebrate their successes.”

The much-anticipated People’s Choice award was also revealed on the night following public voting throughout September. Stapleford’s Arctic Cabins crowned the winner while Hucknall’s Total Reclaims Demolition and Wilshee’s Waste & Recycling in Burton on Trent were Highly Commended.

In the Family Business of the Year category, the judges decided a Special Highly Commended be awarded to Landermeads Nursing Home in Beeston, with Coinadrink also recognised with a Highly Commended accolade. Other Highly Commended finalists on the night included Burntwood’s SMART Balustrades and Hardy Signs in Burton on Trent for the Best Small Family Business and Jupiter Play & Leisure in West Bridgford, Nottingham, and Hucknall-based Total Reclaims Demolition in the Employer of the Year category.  Derby’s The Berry Group and Quality Life UK in Kegworth were also Highly Commended in the Fastest Growing Family Business category, while Stapleford-based Arctic Cabins and Alfreton’s S Brown Paving were recognised for the Property & Construction Excellence award.

Highly Commended in the Service Excellence category were Trent Safety Services and Welch the Florist, in Daybrook and Stapleford respectively, with Go4Greener Waste Management, in Derby and Willenhall’s Wedge Group Galvanizing also recognised in the Sustainability category. In the highly-coveted Young Director of the Year award, Hucknall-based EMC Hire Group’s Ewan Cross and Richard Noon from Rock Fall UK in Alfreton were both Highly Commended.

Specialist providers of HR, payroll and finance software and services, MHR, were winners of the Family Business of the Year in 2023 and the main sponsors for this year’s celebration. MHR’s Chairman, Jessica Mills, commented: “We’re incredibly proud to be a family business, and as we enter our 40th anniversary, it’s a pleasure to be working with Wilsons to acknowledge the achievements of other family businesses in the region, both large and small, across multiple sectors.

“The standard of this year’s entrants truly reflects the calibre of professional expertise we have here in the Midlands. Our huge congratulations go to every family business recognised on the night and to every finalist who made the shortlist – well done.”

The Awards is a not-for-profit initiative. All proceeds from the Awards will go to The Brain Tumour Charity, the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.

Full list of winners and finalists in the Midlands Family Business Awards 2024

Family Business of the Year - Sponsored by MHR

·        Winner: Red Rhino Crushers UK

·        Special Highly Commended: Landermeads Nursing Home

·        Highly Commended: Coinadrink

·        Brilliant Commercial & Industrial Cleaning Group

·        Nexus Care Services

Best Small Family Business - Sponsored by Ward

·        Winner: Freckleface Home Fragrance

·        Highly Commended: SMART Balustrades

·        Highly Commended: Hardy Signs

·        ACE Bookings

·        Jointine Products

·        Route4 Solutions

Best Digital Tech Innovation - Sponsored by Family Business Futures

·        Winner: Coinadrink

·        Highly Commended: Ward

·        Highly Commended: Your Help Hub

·        Due Diligence Checking

·        SuperFOIL Insulation

Employer of the Year - Sponsored by Wilsons

·        Winner: Streets Heaver Healthcare Computing

·        Highly Commended: Jupiter Play & Leisure

·        Highly Commended: Total Reclaims Demolition

·        Danton HR

·        The Deeley Group

·        The Workplace Depot

Fastest Growing Family Business - Sponsored by PwC

·        Winner: Freckleface Home Fragrance

·        Highly Commended: The Berry Group

·        Highly Commended: Quality Life UK

·        Bambino’s & Beyond

Property & Construction Excellence - Sponsored by Buckles Solicitors

·        Winner: The Deeley Group

·        Highly Commended: Arctic Cabins

·        Highly Commended: S Brown Paving

·        Boss Group Lincoln

·        The Berry Group

·        The Home Styling Company

Service Excellence - Sponsored by Premier Community

·        Winner: Vale Clearances

·        Highly Commended: Trent Safety Services

·        Highly Commended: Welch the Florist

·        Absolute Works

·        AFJ Limited

·        Brilliant Commercial & Industrial Cleaning Group

·        SuperFOIL Insulation

Sustainability - Sponsored by The Handy Family Company

·        Winner: HSG UK

·        Highly Commended: Go4Greener Waste Management

·        Highly Commended: Wedge Group Galvanizing

·        Midland Lead

·        Rock Fall UK

Young Director of the Year - Sponsored by Shakespeare Martineau

·        Winner: Willshee's Waste & Recycling - Dean Willshee

·        Highly Commended: EMC Hire Group – Ewan Cross

·        Highly Commended: Rock Fall UK – Richard Noon

·        Recruit 2 You – Jenna Bates

·        Fabric Recruitment - Katie Turner

·        S Brown Paving - Naomi Brown

The 'People’s Choice’ award, sponsored by Streets Chartered Accountants, determined by a public vote throughout September:

·        Winner: Arctic Cabins

·        Highly Commended: Total Reclaims Demolition

·        Highly Commended: Willshee’s Waste & Recycling

Organised by third generation family business, Wilsons, which specialises in insurance and financial services and supported by a range of high-profile sponsors, the Midlands Family Business Awards gives family businesses of all sizes, from all sectors, the opportunity to recognised for the huge contribution they make to the region.

Sponsors for 2024 included specialist providers of HR, payroll and finance software and services MHR; family business community Family Business Futures; creative agency Stencil; Buckles Solicitors; professional services firm PwC; metal recycling and waste management specialists Ward; property maintenance business, The Handy Family Company; legal advisers Shakespeare Martineau; home care and mobility services provider, Premier Community and Streets Chartered Accountants.