We were delighted to have been shortlisted in two categories for the Forward Ladies Business Awards 2015 - Yorkshire & North East Region. The regional final was held in Newcastle yesterday (29th September) and we were absolutely thrilled to have won The Digital/Online Award for Yorkshire & The North East. What an accolade!
This means that we're now into the National Finals in Leeds on 20th November 2015, but before that we have to work a little harder to impress the judges at a Live Panel judging session on the 4th of November!!!
Please see below for all the details of the awards from our PR friends at 2B Communications.
Sweet success for confectionery entrepreneur as she storms through to national finals for Forward Ladies Women in Business Awards 2015
A Yorkshire sweet entrepreneur who spearheads a retro sweet business has forged ahead to the national finals in the Forward Ladies Women in Business Awards 2015.
Lucy Scott Paul, owner of Bah Humbugs won the Digital/Online Business of the Year Award 2015 for Yorkshire and the North East region at an awards ceremony yesterday (Tuesday 29 September) in Newcastle upon Tyne,in recognition of her 12 years of experience in confectionery and her success in the digital side of her business.
The 38-year-old who hails from Masham, North Yorkshire where her business is based, started her business with a shop on the market square and has grown the online side of the company with a website which now takes orders from across the globe, and a strong social media presence. The Bah Humbugs website http://www.bahhumbugs.com/has received close to 10,000 new visitors since January this year spread across the UK, USA and Norway.
She specialises in liquorice confectionery and stocks nostalgic sweet hampers whilst she also suppliessweets and hampers for corporate clients, events and weddings.Lucy has strong relationship with her customers and has harnessed her online community’s views to help shape her themed sweet products to mark occasions such as the Queen’s Jubilee. Her latest range of sweets features ‘Decade Buckets themed sweets. .
Lucy now joins start-ups and multi-million pound businesses for the 2015 Forward Ladies Women in Business Awardsfinal which promises to be one of the most closely run finals in its six-year history.
“I am absolutely delighted to have won Digital Business of the Year 2015 for Yorkshire and the North East region and cannot wait for the finals. The digital side of the business has enabled me to expand my client base across the UK and beyond including wining new corporate contracts.
“Running your own business can be isolating at times and making decisions can be hard. I found it really motivating being at the awards ceremony and in the company of such successful women who all have inspiring stories to share.”
The mother-of-two won regional Retail Business of the Year 2012 in the same competition and now joins 142 entrepreneurial female business leaders who are competing in rounds in Newcastle, Manchester, London and Nottingham across 11 categories to reach the finals to be held in Leeds, West Yorkshire in November.
Fellow winners at the Newcastle awards ceremony included Claire Young of BBC’s The Apprentice fame in recognition of her School Speakers business.
Forward Ladies Managing Director Griselda Togobo said the standard of entries this year was one of the highest ever.
“The calibre of entries has been increasing year on year, but this year we have a number of outstanding entries, which have attracted women from all ages, all professions and all walks of life. We are also delighted to hosting regional heats in Newcastle, Manchester, London and Nottingham for the first time, which means we can showcase some of the best talent from across the whole of England.
“We also have categories to showcase the underrepresented women working in traditionally male dominated fields such as STEM, Digital and Online category, and have received some outstanding entries in this category. The judges have seriously had their work cut out for them this year.”
This year’s judging panel was made up of leading business personalities and entrepreneurs including Karen Boswell, the managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe and former managing director of East Coast Trains, Ajaz Ahmed, the founder of Freeserve and Debra White, the Regional Director of Small Businesses at HSBC.
Bah Humbugs has over 3,500 twitter followers and over 4,000 facebook page. To follow on twitter visit https://twitter.com/bahhumbugs and to become a facebook fan visit http://www.facebook.com/bahhumbugs. To visit Bah Humbugs You Tube page visit http://www.youtube.com/user/englishsweetshop
For more information visit http://www.bahhumbugs.com/
ENDS
For interviews/photos or more information please contact Audrey Barton at 2B Communications on 07769334877 or email Audrey@2bcommunications.co.uk