A record six businesses from Cumbria walked away with honours at the fiercely contested Family Business of the Year Awards 2018.

In the north of the county, Carlisle-based food and drink suppliers Pioneer Foods won the North and Northern Ireland Family Business of the Year award. Wigton’s Roland Hill emerged victorious in the Property and Construction category while Stalkers Transport of Brampton, came out top in the Transport and Logistics category.

In the south, gift, homeware and accessories retailer Herdy won the North and Northern Ireland People’s Choice Family Business of the Year. Grasmere Gingerbread won the Special Award for Entrepreneurship, while Sedbergh’s Bath House walked away with the One to Watch Family Business of the Year honour.

The winners emerged from a total of sixteen finalists from the county – who reached the national finals after picked up honours at the Cumbria Family Business Awards 2017 held earlier in the year.

Co-founders of the Cumbria Family Business Awards, Sue Howorth of The Family Business Network Ltd and Sophia Newton of of PR and events company Flock, supported the county’s contingency at the national awards.

Ms Howarth, who was also a judge for the national awards, said: “We were over the moon to see so many Cumbrian winners.

“To compete at this national level is already an amazing achievement and to win against the best family businesses in the country is truly astonishing. Our Cumbrian awards achieved their goal of putting Cumbrian family businesses on a national stage, the businesses went one step better by winning.”

Karen Stalker of Stalker’s Transport, who are celebrating fifty years in business in 2018, described their awards as “the perfect candle for the birthday cake”.

Co-founders of Herdy and husband and wife team Spencer and Diane Hannah were also delighted to emerge winners, after being pipped to the post in the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr Hannah said: “We were delighted and very surprised. This award is chosen by the public so it means a lot that our customers got behind us in this way.”

Attention is now turning to the Cumbria Family Business Awards 2019, which will take place on March 9. They will be officially launched at The Family Business Conference 2018, which takes place on October 11.