Two local charities are £2,000 better off between them thanks to the sponsors and supporters of the Oldham Business Awards. 

Mahdlo Youth Zone and Dr Kershaw’s Hospice are the beneficiaries of our quiz night at the White Hart Inn at Lydgate – the money raised from ticket sales and a raffle held on the night. 

Sixteen teams put their knowledge to the test, which gave Dr Kershaw’s a double reason to celebrate after its ‘Dr Who’ team made up of Paul Cook, Lindsey Harper, David Macdonald and Julie Hesselgrove-Ward emerged triumphant. 

The awards, now in their 17th year, recognise and reward business excellence, acumen and entrepreneurial spirit among Oldham businesses of all sizes and guises. 

They also celebrate the community contribution made by local good causes, which saw £2,500 each donated to Mahdlo and Dr Kershaw’s following last year’s gala night – taking the charity fundraising total to more than £60,000 over the awards’ 16-year history. 

The two charities will again benefit from the generosity of guests and sponsors at this year’s glittering awards night on Friday 3 October. Before then, our steering group – a dedicated volunteer team drawn from a diverse range of locally based businesses, together with category sponsors, will have the challenging task of judging and selecting a shortlist and then winners of the 11 awards categories and the recipient of the Special Recognition Award.  

OBAs Chair David Wadsworth, founder and MD of Lees-based Cornerstone Design and Marketing, says: “I’d like to say a big thank you from me and the steering group to the White Hart and everyone who took part in what was a fun and worthwhile night – how could we ever forget when Mumps Bridge was knocked down, or the year the Spindles Shopping Centre first opened? We have a brilliant business community here in Oldham, the depth and breadth of which deserves the recognition the awards provide. I’d urge every business – large and small, old and new – to submit a nomination, or to speak to us about becoming a sponsor if they’re interested in supporting the very best night in the Oldham business calendar.” 

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the following categories:  

• Business Person of the Year
• Business of the Year >£5M

We also still have associate sponsorships available including the:

• Bar
• Canapes
• Starters
• Main Course
• Desserts
• Photography
• Place Settings
• Programmes
• Flowers
• Casino
• Venue

Meanwhile, the entry deadline for this year’s awards has been extended to 2nd May!

But back to the quiz night, which was rounded off with an excellent pie and pea supper courtesy of the White Hart kitchen. 

As well as general knowledge and local history, the teams were tested on films, music and a picture round. 

The runners-up were North Ainley Solicitors while there were contrasting fortunes for two teams from Cornerstone DM – ‘the ‘Rolling Cornerstones’ finishing third while its ‘#TeamDigital’ received the wooden spoon – literally! 

Thanks also to MC Ian Taylor and to Aaron Welby for providing the music. 

Entries now open 

Local businesses, you can find out more about being part of this spectacular celebration, either as an entrant, sponsor, or both, through this website.

You can also keep up-to-date with the latest Oldham Business Awards news on Facebook and LinkedIn