Sixteen firms in total from US have been awarded Britain’s highest business honour and cover achievement in the areas of innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity through social mobility. The 16 in our region are part of 205 firms nationally to receive an award in this year’s cohort and come after one of the most challenging year’s for British commerce in the history of the nation.

In US, there were seven awards for international trade, four for innovation, four for promoting opportunity and one for sustainable development.

International trade awards were handed to Primeast in Harrogate, Team17 in Wakefield, C Kote Systems in York, OSL Cutting Technology in Sheffield, Naylor in Barnsley, Bluefin in Hebden Bridge, and Ethoss in Silsden.

Innovation awards went to Marsden Weighing Machine Group in Rotherham, AESSEAL in Rotherham, High Seat Holding in Batley, and Better You in Barnsley. There were promoting opportunity awards for Latitude 7 in Brighouse, Community Shop in Barnsley, Sewell Group in Hull and Incommunities in Shipley.

And finally Leeds-based social enterprise Phoenix Health and Wellbeing received Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the sustainable development category.

Its founder Gill Trevor said: “We are absolutely over the moon, this is an incredible honour and it will have a hugely beneficial impact on our social enterprise.

It has already given us all an enormous morale boost. Everyone at Phoenix is so dedicated and has worked incredibly hard over the past 12 months supporting our clients whose lives have been heavily impacted during the pandemic.”

Now in their 55th year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise allow winning businesses to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards emblem for five years. It is customary for a representative from the winners of the Queen’s Awards to be invited to Buckingham Palace but in light of the pandemic, the precise way in which the awards will be celebrated is currently under review.

For Harrogate’s Primeast it is its second such success, having won the award in 2015.

Its chief executive Russell Evans said: “This is such fantastic recognition for the entire team who have worked with such commitment and passion and the clients who continue to support and partner with us.”

Marsden success was in recognition of the work the company has undertaken in developing a unique Patient Transfer Scale, which is used to provide accurate weight measurements when a patient is admitted to hospital.

Its CEO Mark Holdaway, said: “I’m thrilled that our collective work has resulted in a Queen’s Award, but of course, we’re keen not to rest on our laurels and we hope to ensure that even more hospitals and healthcare providers will be able to benefit from this truly unique product.”

And Debbie Bestwick, chief executive officer at Team17, said it was “an honour” to win the award.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “In the last 12 months, British businesses showed the entrepreneurial spirit that this country is renowned for, continuing to drive social mobility, find new markets to export to and produce innovative products and services.

“I congratulate this year’s winners and I wish every business that applied for an award this year every success in the future as we build back better from the pandemic.”