“These people are social butterflies!” - The Freshies

Friday night saw the much anticipated 2024 Freshies Awards, organised and hosted by Fresh Perspective.

The Freshies has been running since 2021 and is a not for profit event, it generously supports local charity causes and brings people of Lancashire and the Northwest together to celebrate the amazing talents and work that is going on in the region. This year the team and supporters smashed the target of £20k. Another great reason to be involved.

This was my first awards ceremony since setting up my business in 2021 and so I was excited to see how things ran as all previous events I have attended have been from an inhouse employed perspective.

And the night did not disappoint! The Freshies have grown in popularity since they launched in 2021, so much so that a bigger venue was needed this year, and a cathedral it was! Who would have thought that such a venue could host such an event, and Blackburn Cathedral stood in all its glory.

I was over the moon to win an award for Nifty Networker. The category criteria went along the lines of:

These people are social butterflies!
They know EVERYONE and everybody knows their name...
You’ll always see them networking, bossing LinkedIn and somehow managing to get their day job done as well!
They are the Kings and Queens at developing relationships to grow their businesses and expand horizons!

I love networking, I love meeting new people and building relationships and love connecting people. So be nominated in the first place is an absolute honour, to then hear I got into the final was just beyond my expectations. Sitting talking to the judges and reflecting on this was a brilliant opportunity. It gave me chance to really see the impact that networking has had on my confidence over the last 4 years and what it has done for my business. Never would I have said, that I would be a Network Leader or be recognised for my efforts. So it really is an absolute honour, especially when I look at the list of other finalists - absolute diamonds:

To say I was surprised on the evening is an understatement - when the award was being announced, I was busy handing out sauces on our table for the chips that had just arrived! I had no expectation of winning, just really pleased to be part of such a high performing group of individuals.

I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who nominated and voted for me, to the judges for giving their time to speak to all the finalists, and to Fresh Perspective for pulling everything together. Event management is a tough gig nowadays and takes so much commitment on every level, so it really is amazing that they keep doing this. Thank you for the opportunity.

It was also an absolute joy to share the night with some of the wider Unique Ladies and am really grateful to be part of such an amazing team.

When I woke on Saturday morning, with a slightly bad head after too much fizz, I knew I wanted to explore the event and the impact it has more. With my HR hat on, shining a light on the winners and what the awards mean for them, to demonstrate to business owners whether they are a solo entrepreneur or employing people, the importance of reward and recognition.

This is just the beginning of our "Celebrating Success" series. Each interview will uncover more about how awards influence career and personal growth and share the story behind the award. Check out the Shining Star award winner.