Ultimate accolade for Harrogate hotel legend as he receives Lifetime Achievement award at event of the year

Now in their 19th year, the Harrogate Advertiser Business Excellence Awards 2024, which took place at the Pavilions of Harrogate in front of more than 300 guests on Thursday, May 23, saw Rudding Park’s popular Managing Director Peter Banks receive the Lifetime Achievement.

Describing him as true “hotel royalty”, the Harrogate Advertiser’s Graham Chalmers said Mr Banks, who has helped steer the luxury resort from a £2 million business to a £28m one in his 28 years in Harrogate, was “someone everyone knew and no one regretted knowing.”

Hosted by TV presenter Christine Talbot, the judges this year decided to introduce a new prize.

The first Judges Award went to Inspire Youth Yorkshire.

Other big winners in an event whose sponsors included HRH Group, Made Smarter, Cedar Court Hotels, Verity Frearson, Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce, Oakdale Golf Club and Berwins included: Harrogate International Festivals, EnviroVent, Starling bar, Apollo Capital, Glawning Ltd, Harrogate Brewing Co and Harrogate Theatre.

The judges included Matthew Stamford, director at Verity Frearson; Karen Winspear, property manager at Windsor House; Sue Kramer, president of Harrogate Chamber of Commerce; and Martin Whincup, associate director of Berwins Solicitors.

The event’s charity partner was Harrogate-based Yorkshire Cancer Research.

Full list of winners: Harrogate Advertiser Business Excellence Awards 2024

Technology & Digital Award (sponsored by Made Smarter)

Harrogate Community Radio.

Nuumad Ltd. (winner)

PC Harmony.

Employee Health & Wellbeing Award

Belzona Ltd. (Highly commended)

Harrogate College. (winner)

Harrogate International Festivals.

Radfield Home Care.

Sustainability Award

Belzona.

Cause UK. (Highly commended)

Make it Wild.

Number Thirteen. (winner)

Retail or Leisure Business of the Year (sponsored by Oakdale Golf Club)

Claire Baxter Gallery.

Harrogate Theatre.(winner)

Live for Today.

Simply Devine.

Small Hospitality Business of the Year

Mama Doreen’s Emporium, Harrogate.

Number Thirteen.

Starling Independent Cafe Bar & Restaurant. (winner)

Large Hospitality Business of the Year

Cedar Court Hotels. (winner)

Grantley Hall.

HRH Group.

Tourism Award

Cause UK.

Harrogate International Festivals. (winner)

Kist Accommodates Ltd.

Mother Shipton’s Cave.

Rural Business of the Year (sponsored by HRH Group)

Green-tech.

Radfield Home Care.

Vicky Anderson - Business Services & Training.Yolk Farm. (winner)

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard & Brewery.

Apprentice/Trainee of the Year

Maddie Bissett - Unilever. (winner)

Robert Ramsay Gosling-Kennedy - Labcorp.

Business in the Community Award (sponsored by Cedar Court Hotels)

Belzona Ltd.

Cause UK.

Harrogate College.

Inspire Youth Yorkshire.

Radfield Home Care. (winner)

Best Independent Business

Claire Baxter Gallery.

Doodle HR.

Evolve Psychology Services.

Glawning Ltd.

Harrogate Brewing Co. (winner)

The Dogs Bakery & Cafe.

Wild & Co Chartered Accountants.

Best SME Company

Apollo Capital. (winner)

IDR Law.

The Japanese Shop.

Yorkshire Heart Vineyard & Brewery.

Large Business of the Year (sponsored by Berwins)

EnviroVent. (winner)

Grantley Hall.

HRH Group.

Labcorp.

Business Leader/Entrepreneur of the Year

Christopher Neave - Make it Wild. (Business Leader winner)

Ian Baker - The Soundproofing Store.

James Haddleton - Haddletons.

James Martin - Glawning Ltd. (Entrepreneur of the Year winner)

Liz Wright - Simply Devine.

Paul Auty - Ake & Humphris Wine Merchants.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Peter Banks, Rudding Park