Making Oldham No.1

HOLLINWOOD business Web Applications became a formal sponsor of the eagerly anticipated One Oldham Chronicle Business Awards at the official launch.

I was able to announce to a gathering of 50 sponsors and potential supporters, at the Clough Manor, Denshaw, that Craig Dean and his wife Vivienne will sponsor the Businesswoman of the Year category.

This leaves only one of the categories without a sponsor — that of Businessman of the Year — and Dave Meredith, a director of title sponsors RBS, is confident that more support will be forthcoming now that the awards are in the public domain.

He said: “We have spent six months getting to this stage and we are grateful for the support we have enjoyed so far, but this is just the start. For these awards to become a success we need companies and firms to self-nominate and be proud of what they have achieved. The number of nominations we receive will be the determinant if these awards, which I firmly believe are needed in Oldham to recognise the talent we have always had, are to be successful.”

Steve Kilroy, from sponsor BAE Systems, said his company was determined to be a part of the process from the outset, saying: “As a business we are constantly seeking to encourage and reward enterprise and initiative, which is why we have chosen that category to support.

“I know there is great deal of enthusiasm out there in Oldham and BAE Systems wants to be a part of the process that recognises this critical area of business.”

Dave Sanders, a PR and media consultant for German airline Lufthansa, announced that the carrier had donated two business-class tickets to any Lufthansa destination in Europe as prizes to raise money for Dr Kershaw’s.

These will be won at the extravagant black tie presentation dinner at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Oldham, on Friday, April 3, 2009, Oldham’s first “Business Oscars” event.