Family Business United is delighted to announce that Matthew Pudney, a man whose career traces the entire journey from the post room to the boardroom has been awarded a Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award. Matthew's career at Princebuild spans nearly four decades. He joined in 1988 in the administration of term maintenance contracts, and from the outset showed the work ethic and drive to improve things that would come to define his career, quickly rising to lead the company's Maintenance Division and overseeing the opening of multiple branches across East Anglia. Recognised early for his forward-thinking approach, he went on to develop Princebuild's bespoke IT systems, transforming how the Group operated, before heading up its IT and Communications Department and extending his influence into Branding and Marketing too. Matthew became a board member in 2000 and a shareholder in 2003, taking on responsibility for the Group's strategic direction and long-term growth. In 2025, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer, continuing the Pudney family's leadership of the business founded by Derek Asplin and Stuart Pudney, while guiding it into its next chapter. It is, by any measure, a remarkable journey: from an administrative role to CEO, built over nearly forty years of operational expertise and strategic vision, helping grow Princebuild into the respected, multi-disciplinary construction business it is today. Those who work with Matthew describe a leader defined by character rather than title, someone who genuinely embodies Princebuild's values of building, sharing and caring. He builds strong foundations, whether that's robust systems, high-performing teams or long-term strategy. He shares knowledge and opportunity generously, creating a culture of openness and trust where directors support one another rather than compete. And above all, he cares, leading with integrity and humility and a real sense of responsibility to the people who make the business what it is. That sense of responsibility reaches well beyond Princebuild's own walls. Matthew was the creative force behind Blingo, a black-tie charity evening organised with the NSPCC Peterborough Business Support Group that has become a flagship fixture in the local calendar, raising over £100,000 for causes including the NSPCC, Macmillan Cancer Support and Helping Our Ukrainian Friends since it began. He has personally taken part in Princebuild's annual 10K Challenge for the past ten years, an event that raised £32,000 for Helping Our Ukrainian Friends in 2024 alone with over a hundred participants. And when that charity needed aid delivered directly, Matthew didn't simply write a cheque, he travelled to Poland as part of a convoy of Princebuild vans to help deliver it himself. Matthew has also played a defining role in guiding Princebuild through the transition from its founding generation, honouring the legacy of Derek Asplin and Stuart Pudney while shaping a modern, forward-thinking business fit for what comes next, a balance of heritage and progress that isn't easy to strike. Combined with his recognition as Business Person of the Year in 2024, his story is a genuine embodiment of what this award exists to celebrate. In his own words: "Princebuild has always been about building, sharing and caring, values set by those before us and carried forward by an incredible team. I've been fortunate to be part of that journey." Congratulations on receiving this year's Lifetime Achievement Award Matthew Pudney.

Family Business United is delighted to announce that Elizabeth Rose has been awarded a Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her 25 years spent shaping not just a marketing function, but the very identity of a family business. Elizabeth has been part of Rose Calendars, a family business founded all the way back in 1908, since 2001, and for the whole of that time she has held the title of Marketing Manager. But that title has never really captured what she does. Over a quarter of a century she has been the company's voice on customer relationships, communications, product development, sales support and, in many ways, the public face of the Rose Calendars brand itself. One of Elizabeth's most significant achievements has been helping to establish promotional calendars as a serious, effective tool within the B2B marketplace, not a seasonal afterthought, but a genuinely valuable piece of a company's marketing armoury. Through consistent trade communication and direct engagement with distributors, resellers and corporate customers, she has spent 25 years making that case, and making it well. Along the way she has built the kind of relationships, with customers, sales agents, suppliers and colleagues, that simply cannot be manufactured quickly. Many of them have endured for decades, built on the trust that comes from someone who genuinely listens and consistently delivers. Colleagues describe Elizabeth as approachable and personable, but also exacting, with an attention to detail that has helped maintain the quality and professionalism of the Rose Calendars brand throughout her tenure. She has adapted the business through enormous change in the calendar industry, embracing digital marketing and new customer expectations while holding on to the personal, relationship-led approach that has always defined the company. As both a family member and a long-serving member of the team, she has been a source of continuity through all of it, helping the business evolve without ever losing sight of what makes it a family business in the first place. Elizabeth's influence reaches well beyond marketing campaigns and into the wider community Rose Calendars is part of. Since 2024 she has been a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, strengthening the company's ties to the wider printing and publishing trade. She has been the driving force behind Rose Calendars' long-standing support for St Helena Hospice in Colchester, turning corporate sponsorship into genuine staff participation through events like this year's Roses for Remembrance gathering at Beth Chatto Gardens and a company Bake Off that raised funds during the quieter part of the calendar season. She has also built a genuinely practical relationship with Sailship, a local organisation supporting adults with learning difficulties and mental health needs, ensuring the company's waste wooden pallets are given a second life as furniture, planters and fencing made and sold by Sailship in support of its work. And since 2021 she has championed Rose Calendars' Carbon Capture partnership with the Woodland Trust, a scheme through which the company and its customers have now supported new native woodland planting equivalent to around four football pitches, work Elizabeth has backed up in person, planting saplings herself on a Woodland Trust planting day in Nottingham. What makes Elizabeth's 25 years remarkable is not simply their length, but what she has built within them. She has shaped how Rose Calendars talks to its customers, how it presents itself within its industry, and how it shows up in its community, all while remaining as enthusiastic about the business today as she was when she started. In her own words, it has been a journey she has genuinely enjoyed every step of. Congratulations to our 2026 Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Elizabeth Rose.

Family Business United is delighted to announce that John J Smith Senior has been awarded a Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of a life spent quietly, devotedly, in service of others, at some of the hardest moments a family can face. John left school early to join the family business and learn the trade of a monumental mason, working with stone long before he ever expected to spend his life caring for people. Thirty years ago he took the decision to start offering funeral services alongside that trade, and from that day he has, by his own family's account, worked twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Not because he had to, but because he saw every family who came to him as his own. In and around Colchester, John is simply known and trusted. Families call on him because they know that whatever their loved one needs, and whatever hour of the day or night they need it, he will be there in person. He will go to a family's home himself, any time, so that they can see him and know he is looking after the person they have lost as though they were his own. He stays with families from the moment of loss through the funeral itself and well beyond it, and he will go to whatever length is needed to see a family's final wishes carried out properly. That same generosity reaches out into the wider community. John has supported the local hospice and local bowling clubs, and has built genuine friendships with countless families and businesses across the area over the years. True to the spirit of the family business world, he has always been quick to recommend and support other local family firms, the florists, the printers, the coffin makers, the people who, like him, quietly keep a community running. What makes John's story so striking is the scale of what it has asked of him. He has taken no holidays and no real days off, because his community has always come first. His own family will tell you, honestly, that they have missed out on time with him because of his devotion to the families he serves. Few people give that much of themselves, for that long, and ask for so little in return. In his own words: "I have loved every moment and would not have changed my life for the world." Congratulations to John J Smith Senior on a well deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

Family Business United is delighted to announce that Nigel Gardener, a man who, at an age when most people are thinking about winding down, chose to start all over again and has been awarded a 2026 Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award. Nigel joined RSP UK Suction Excavators at its formation in 2016, at the age of 63, bringing with him almost four decades in heavy plant and trenchless technology, including many years as Customer Service Director at his previous company. He didn't join for a job. He joined to build something alongside his son Lloyd and daughter-in-law Charlie, together with Jens, Karl and Marina, the founding team from RSP Germany, people he had grown close to over many years. When RSP UK started, it had no UK trading history and nothing to point a customer towards. What it had was Nigel, and more than thirty years of relationships he had earned the hard way, by looking after people properly. He opened every one of those relationships up, introducing Charlie and Lloyd personally to contacts he had spent a career building, and vouching for them. Many of those customers, family businesses themselves, took a chance on a brand new company because the man they already trusted was standing next to it. That transfer of trust is the reason the business got off the ground, and it is not something that can be bought or replicated. From there Nigel set the standard the whole company still works to today, in how a customer is spoken to, what the business will and won't promise, and how quickly it responds when someone is on site with a problem. As RSP UK grew into three brands and four divisions, he made a deliberate choice to step back from the front line and into business support, handing over relationships he had spent decades building to the people he had trained to hold them. Very few people give away their own life's work willingly. Fewer do it as generously as Nigel has. Those who work with him describe someone who is meticulous almost to a fault, the sort of man who treats arriving on time as already being late, and who will find the detail in a document that everybody else skimmed past. He is relentless, first to arrive at an exhibition to help build the stand and one of the last still finding something worth doing at the end of a long day, at 73 years old, no matter how many times his colleagues have told him to slow down. And he is generous with everything he knows, having spent 47 years building an understanding of heavy plant and trenchless methods that he has never once guarded, giving it freely to colleagues, junior staff, customers' operators, and even people from competing firms who simply asked him a question. Beyond the business, Nigel has spent his career raising standards across the wider industry, championing proper operator training and competence, and helping establish RSP UK as the UK's only dedicated suction excavator training centre. Internationally, he was instrumental in introducing trenchless technology into the Asian market at a time when there was real reluctance to invest in it, work that helped secure adoption by one of the largest authorities in Malaysia and left communities there with safer streets and less disruptive utility work as a result. Perhaps Nigel's most lasting achievement, though, is not measured in machines or turnover at all, but in people. Ten years on, three generations of his family now work at RSP UK: Nigel himself, his sons Lloyd and Paul, daughter-in-law Charlie, and all four of his grandchildren. Every one of them has earned their place, and every one of them works to the same standard he set: turn up early, turn out properly, get the detail right, and put the customer's experience ahead of your own convenience. Nigel has spent these last ten years methodically making himself unnecessary, handing over his customers and training the people who now look after them, so that the business can stand on its own without him. Nigel retires in September this year, at RSP UK's tenth anniversary celebration, bringing to a close a 47 year career that began before trenchless technology was even a recognised discipline, and leaving behind both a company and an industry in better shape than the ones he found.

Family Business United is delighted to announce that John Lawson, a man who has spent seven decades building one of the great independent family businesses of the South and East of England has been awarded a Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award. John's story begins with the loss of his father in 1941, and in 1952, at just 20 years old and while completing his National Service, John lost his mother too. He came into the business that year with no one left to guide him and no real background in the timber and fencing trade. He learned the ropes from the men already working there, who taught him everything from costing a job to erecting a run of fencing themselves. It was in those early, difficult years, hearing first hand from his new colleagues about the hardships his mother had faced trying to keep the business going through the war, that John's character and his lifelong view of what a business owes its people were truly formed. From that foundation, John built. Not content with growing a successful timber and builders' merchant, in 1979 he took on a failing concrete business and turned it into Supreme Ltd, which became the leading UK manufacturer of concrete posts and lintels before its sale in 2006. Meanwhile the core merchant business, now in its third generation of family management, has grown into the Lawsons Group, encompassing AVS Fencing, Timber and Landscaping, Oxford Fencing, Witham Timber, The Landscape Centre and Briants of Risborough. Today that means 35 branches, nearly 700 staff, a fleet of 135 vehicles, and revenue that has doubled in the last eight years to £165 million, all built on a company John himself took charge of in 1952 with nothing to guide him but the example of the people around him. What has always set Lawsons apart is the principle John built it on: that businesses exist to serve people, not the other way round. That belief, rooted in the family's Quaker heritage, runs through everything from profit share and staff bonuses to how the company treats its customers and suppliers. It is why Lawsons became the first, and remains the only, builders' merchant in the country to be awarded the Gold Standard Fair Tax Mark, a clear signal of the responsible conduct John has always insisted upon. It is also why the business operates on what the family calls a triple bottom line of profit, people and planet, with every branch holding its own discretionary fund to support worthwhile causes in its own community, alongside a central charitable fund for longer term commitments. John's own words capture the philosophy behind all of it: "Principles walk in front of you. They prepare your way." Seventy years on from taking the reins as a young man with no roadmap, John Lawson has built the largest independent builders' merchant in the South and East of England, and, more importantly, a business where staff feel valued, respected and secure, a culture shaped entirely by his own humanity and sense of duty. What sealed the win as Supreme Champion for 2026 in the eyes of the judges is what John did most recently, and it is, in many ways, the single act that defines everything he stands for. In April 2026, the Lawson family made the decision to transfer John's majority 51% shareholding in the business into an independent trust. Let us be clear about what that means. It was a gift. No money changed hands. There was no sale, no payout to the Lawson family. This was not a takeover and it was not a restructure. It was a 94 year old man handing his own ownership back to the business he built, so that the values he has spent seventy years instilling, how Lawsons treats its people, its independence, its commitment to the communities it serves, are now written permanently into the legal structure of the company. No future investor, no private equity firm, no owner to come will ever be able to change what Lawsons stands for. John made sure of that himself. As John put it in his own words: "Family businesses are not as other companies. The mutual responsibility and interaction between the family and the business fosters relationships and lifelong friendships." Few people have lived that truth as fully, or acted on it as decisively, as John Lawson. For a lifetime of building, of principle, and, in the end, of giving it all back John Lawson is thoroughly deserving of recognition in these awards, and for taking the Family Business Lifetime Achievement Overall Supreme Champion for 2026.

Family Business United is delighted to announce that Philip Miller MBE, a man who has spent fifty years turning a small seafront site into one of the best loved family destinations in the country, has been awarded a Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award. Philip's story is rooted entirely in Southend-on-Sea, where he was born, raised, and still lives today. He grew up in a council house and left school with no formal qualifications, starting out as a young boy working at the old Kursaal amusement park. Those early years taught him lessons that have never left him: the value of hard work, of taking responsibility, and of treating people well. In 1976, Philip's family bought a small amusement site for just four thousand pounds. Fifty years on, that modest investment has grown into Adventure Island, one of the UK's most recognised family theme parks, welcoming millions of visitors and, alongside Sealife Adventure and the wider Stockvale Group, employing more than a thousand people at the height of summer season. Under Philip's leadership the business has never stood still, continually adding new attractions, developing Sealife Adventure, and reinvesting in Southend year after year. What sets Philip apart is that, after half a century at the helm, he still shows up every single day. He walks the park, talks to guests and staff, and makes himself genuinely visible in a business that could easily let its chairman disappear into the boardroom. He has recently taken to social media with real enthusiasm, and his behind the scenes videos have earned him millions of views, regular requests for selfies around the park, and a nomination for Theme Park Personality of the Year. Philip's commitment to people runs right through the business. Eight members of his family now work across the Stockvale companies, and he has taken care to mentor and guide each of them, making sure the values that built the business in 1976 are the same ones carrying it forward today. He funds university degrees for members of his team, personally runs leadership sessions, and has brought in speakers including a former Chief Constable, a Paralympic champion, an Olympic swimming champion and an England Test cricketer to inspire his staff. He has also introduced free chaplaincy and counselling services, so every employee has access to support whenever they need it. That commitment to creating opportunity, particularly for young people and those who might otherwise struggle to find work, was recognised nationally with The Queen's Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity through Social Mobility, one of the highest honours available to a British business. Philip's contribution reaches well beyond the park gates. In 1998 he was a founding member of the Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation, which has since raised millions of pounds for equipment and facilities beyond NHS funding, work that saw him awarded an MBE in 2002 for services to charity and the community. In 2018, despite a genuine fear of heights, he completed a charity abseil for the hospital. He helped establish the Citizen of Southend Awards to celebrate local people who go above and beyond, and this year, to mark Adventure Island's 50th anniversary, he is giving away 300 Golden Annual Passes to guests and local charities in thanks for five decades of support. Through all of it, colleagues and family describe the same thing: success has never changed him. He remains approachable, down to earth, and endlessly curious about how to make the business better for the people in it and around it. His enthusiasm, by every account, has never faded. Generations of families have grown up with memories made at Adventure Island, and generations of employees have built careers there, because of one man's fifty year refusal to sit still. Congratulations to Philip Miller MBE on his 2026 Family Business Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

Family Business United has announced the ten winners of this year's Lifetime Achievement Awards, celebrating decades of dedication, integrity and community spirit across the UK's family business community, with John Lawson of the Lawsons Group named the overall Supreme Champion for 2026. Ten Winners, One Shared Thread This year's winners span industries from manufacturing and construction to theme parks, funeral care, distance learning and roofing, but each was recognised for the same underlying qualities: building something that lasts, treating people properly, and giving back to the communities around them. The 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award winners are: Presnted Presented in absentia - Mark Rutter, Wes Arbuckle and Terry Peck. Pictured from left to right: John Smith Senior, Elizabeth Rose, Philip Miller MBE, John Lawson, Gerald Bloom, Nigel Gardener, Matthew Pudney, Paul Andrews. Gerald Bloom, who built two major British manufacturing businesses, Midland Industrial Plastics and Big Bear Plastic Products, over more than 60 years. Philip Miller MBE, who has led Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea for 50 years since his family's original four thousand pound investment. John Lawson, who has spent seven decades building the Lawsons Group into the largest independent builders' merchant in the South and East of England. Nigel Gardener, who joined RSP UK Suction Excavators at 63 to help found the business alongside his family, and retires this year after a 47 year career. John J Smith Senior, recognised for 30 years of round the clock funeral care for families in and around Colchester. Elizabeth Rose, who has spent 25 years shaping the marketing and community presence of Rose Calendars. Matthew Pudney, who has risen from an entry level administrative role in 1988 to Chief Executive of Princebuild. Terry Peck, Managing Director of Capital Roofing, recognised for decades building the business and supporting the Bexley community. Mark Rutter, Co-Founder and Chairman of Open Study College, recognised for turning a 2007 start-up into a national online education provider. Wes Arbuckle, of Linian, recognised for his own lasting contribution to the family business he has helped build. John Lawson Named Overall Supreme Champion Of this exceptional field, the judges named John Lawson as the overall Supreme Champion for 2026. The decision followed his decision earlier this year to transfer his majority 51% shareholding in the Lawsons Group into an independent trust, a gift rather than a sale, ensuring the values he has built over more than 70 years are now protected permanently within the company's structure. Paul Andrews, Founder and CEO of Family Business United, said the calibre of this year's nominees made the judges' task a genuinely difficult one. "Every single year I think we can't possibly top the stories we've heard before, and every single year the family business community proves me wrong." "What struck the judges this year wasn't just the scale of what these individuals have built, it was how consistently they've done it while putting their people, their customers and their communities first." On the winners as a group, he added: "These ten people represent everything that makes the family business sector special." "They are exceptional and inspirational individuals. They've built businesses that provide livelihoods for thousands of families, and they've done it with a set of values that simply doesn't show up on a balance sheet, but it's the reason these businesses have lasted." "As for the overall winner, John's decision to place his own shareholding into trust for the future of the business, at 93 years old and asking for nothing in return, is about as clear a statement of what a family business owner can stand for as I've ever come across. The judges were unanimous that his story captured exactly what this award exists to celebrate." "Ten winners, ten very different businesses, and one shared story: family businesses built to last, by people who never stopped putting others first." Find out more about the Annual Family Business Lifetime Achievement Awards and consider entering a deserving individual here Check out the photo gallery from the 2026 Famly Business Lifetime Achievement Awards and National Family Business Dinner here:

Shepherd Neame licensees Julia and Michael Foxwell, who run The Old House at Home in Dormansland, are adding another award to their shelf after being crowned UK Community Sustainability Hero in the PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards 2026. The couple, who have run the village pub in Surrey since 2024, were invited to a prestigious awards ceremony at the House of Commons on Tuesday, September 8 after being nominated by East Surrey MP Claire Coutinho. They were one of 13 category winners from across the UK. The pub was recognised for its efforts to make the hospitality industry greener, with initiatives such as securing funding from the Surrey County Council Active Travel Programme to purchase a staff e-bike, install an e-bike charging point and operate a free public bike repair station. The couple also reuse coffee grounds as fertiliser, collect pet fur for birds to use as nesting material, turn spent beer into a natural slug deterrent, and the pub’s outdoor furniture is made using reclaimed scaffold boards and poles. The Old House at Home has already received numerous accolades, including the Sustainability Award at the BII National Innovation in Training Awards 2025 and Sustainable Pub of the Year at the Shepherd Neame Pub Awards 2026. The 2026 PubAid awards received a record number of nominations from MPs, highlighting growing recognition in Parliament of the role pubs play within their constituencies. East Surrey MP Claire Coutinho said: “The Old House at Home is a brilliant example of how a rural pub can combine community spirit with fresh thinking on sustainability." "From encouraging cycling and creating wildlife-friendly spaces to reducing waste, reusing materials and supporting local suppliers, Julia and the team have shown that practical changes can have a real impact.” PubAid Co-Founder Des O’Flanagan added: “The Old House at Home is a brilliant example of just how important pubs are to the communities they serve." "What they have achieved in Surrey, from making sustainability part of everyday pub life through active travel, waste reduction and practical environmental initiatives, shows that a great pub is about so much more than food and drink; it is a place that brings people together, supports those who need it and makes a real difference locally.” The Old House at Home Licensee Michael Foxwell said: “It was an absolute privilege to even get to the final, and to win was an absolute shock as the other pubs nominated also had great sustainability initiatives. We are proud to make a difference in the community and are celebrating the fact that small changes can make a big difference." “To be recognised on a national level was a truly memorable moment. The award belongs to not just The Old House at Home, but the whole community of Dormansland.” Shepherd Neame Director of Tenanted Pub Operations Greg Wallis said: “ "We are incredibly proud of Michael and Julia, and the whole team at The Old House at Home, for being recognised at the PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards." "Their efforts to put green initiatives at the heart of their business shows that it is possible to create more sustainable spaces in the hospitality industry, and their award for UK Community Sustainability Hero is a credit to the pub.” The PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards 2026 are sponsored by Diageo and supported by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG). For more information about the awards, visit here.

A Staffordshire Moorlands cricket club has ended the sporting season on a high with news that JCB has renewed its support. The digger giant, which has two factories in the Cheadle, has pledged £3,000 over the next three years to help fund the club’s Junior Section and maintenance equipment at the Tean Road ground. Now in its 12th year, the funding is helping the club go from strength to strength. Club Chairman Steve Plant said: “The sponsorship funding will be used to buy new kit for our young players and to support our grounds team with new equipment to help maintain and improve our facilities." “After 12 years of support, we genuinely value the relationship with JCB and are very grateful for their continued commitment to the Club. It’s particularly pleasing that there are so many existing connections between JCB employees, their families and our Club, making the partnership feel very much like a local community relationship.” Cheadle Cricket Club has open training sessions every week, to which all are welcome, and is part of the English Cricket Board All Stars scheme which encourages children into the game. Steve added: “Our junior section ranges from Under 9s through to Under 19 level for boys and girls, and it has been another great summer with the Under 19, 17 ,15 and 11’s all winning their respective sections." “We also have five Saturday and Sunday senior sides playing at our grounds in Cheadle and Oakamoor. Our first team play in the Premier section of the North Staffs and South Cheshire League and this year has seen our second team successfully defend the NSSC Talbot Shield knockout competition.” The club is also home to a women’s softball team with over 25 players training every week and competing in a league and festivals across the area, while local schools also use the facilities over the summer. To find out more visit here.

When farmers talk about diversification, the conversation usually starts with a simple question: what else could we do? We spoke to James Bulmer, Manager and Owner of Kenyon Hall Farm to get his insight into farm diversification. A farm shop, café, fruit picking, events, or seasonal attractions can all provide additional income. For family farms, this diversification can secure their long-term future within the family and create new opportunities for future generations to become part of the business too. But there is another question that needs to be asked much earlier: what does the business need in order to manage that growth without placing too much pressure on the family itself? That is something I have learnt through experience at Kenyon Hall Farm in Warrington, which has been worked by my family for more than 500 years. From The 15th Century To Now My parents started diversifying the farm in 1978, when they planted our first strawberries. At the time, it was a traditional mixed farm growing wheat, potatoes, and barley. That initial step towards diversification in the late 70s has grown considerably. Today, alongside our award-winning farm shop, café, and plant shop, we attract hundreds of thousands of visitors throughout the year with fruit picking, our Maize Maze, Junior Farmers Club, Pumpkin Festival, and seasonal events. This year, our maze is disco themed and we also have a sunflower field. We are expecting around half a million visitors in 2026. Visitor numbers have tripled in the past five years and, at peak times, we welcome thousands of people in a single day. Strawberry picking tickets can sell out within minutes. On the surface, this is exactly what successful diversification should look like. But the rapid increase in visitors also exposed a problem: our growth was starting to outpace our organisational structure. When Growth Outpaces The People Running The Business I returned to Kenyon Hall Farm ten years ago after a career in IT to support my parents. I am now one of four owners. Coming back to the family business gave me a different perspective on how it operated. I could see the value of the knowledge built up over generations, but also how much responsibility sat with the family. As the business grew, the four of us were consistently working seven days a week, often in areas outside our core expertise. We had more customers, activities, and demands, but lacked the structure to support them. That experience changed the way I think about diversification. We often focus on whether a new activity can make money, but don't always consider what it will require from the people running the business. Every new revenue stream brings complexity: more customers mean more staff, more activities mean more operational decisions, and more events mean more planning. In a family business, there can be an assumption that the family will simply absorb that extra work. But eventually, that stops being sustainable. The Family Shouldn't Have To Be The Management Structure I reached out to the University of Salford to understand what support was available and subsequently enrolled on the 90% government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course, delivered by over 60 business schools across the UK. The course helped me recognise that we needed experienced managers in place if we were going to grow the business sustainably. As a direct result, we recruited four department managers and introduced a management tier. It meant becoming much clearer about what the owners should and shouldn't be involved in. Being an owner doesn't mean having to make every operational decision. The biggest lesson I took from the course was that growth isn't only about customers or turnover. A business also needs its systems, processes, and management structure to grow alongside it. Passing Knowledge Between Generations There was another challenge: much of what we knew about running the farm existed in people's heads, such as my mum and dad’s experience. Their knowledge is incredibly valuable, but if it remains with one or two people, it becomes difficult to pass on as the business grows and the team changes. We have since worked on getting that knowledge written down in a form that a seasonal team can actually work from. For me, that is an important part of succession. It isn't only about who owns the business next. It is also about whether the knowledge, systems, and responsibilities needed to run it can be passed on. The Real Test Of Successful Diversification I now believe the real test of diversification goes beyond whether it makes financial sense. You need to ask: could the business survive if you stepped away from it? If the answer is no, perhaps the business has grown faster than its foundations. That doesn't mean the diversification has failed. It means the next stage of growth needs to be about building the organisation around it. For us, that has made a significant difference. I now get to spend more time at home with my family and don't have to be on site all the time. The mentoring and peer network from the Help to Grow: Management Course are also continuing to shape how we think about the business. My parents have put their whole working lives into making Kenyon Hall what it is, and I'm very proud to continue that. But I also want the next stage of the business to be more sustainable and less stressful for the people running it. For me, that is what successful diversification should ultimately mean: building the people, systems, and management structure that allow the business to support its growth. Diversification isn't a sustainable business model until it can run without you.

A Paisley kiltmaker whose outfits have dressed royalty, been hung in the White House and travelled to space is harnessing AI to secure the family business for future generations, after its fourth-generation leader completed the Help to Grow: Management Course at the University of West Scotland (UWS). Houston Kiltmakers was founded in 1909 and has built a customer list that reads like few others. It has made kilts for the royals, presidents, A listers, clans and families all round the world. The business even holds a thread of tartan that’s been to space, carried there by Apollo 12 astronaut Commander Alan Bean. The Kiltmakers is now run by fourth-generation family member Ewan MacDonald. When he took over the business, its orders, hire records and the details of tens of thousands of customers were held entirely on paper as they always had been. This created a bottleneck that capped how many bespoke outfits and kilt hires the 14-strong team could handle. To help pinpoint the changes that were needed to modernise and scale the 117-year-old business, Ewan completed the Help to Grow: Management Course at the University of the West of Scotland. The 12-week, 90% government-funded business leadership course equipped him with the knowledge and expertise to put those plans into action. Ewan MacDonald, director at Houston Kiltmakers, commented: “We knew we had to digitise, but we didn’t know how to go about it; so at the start of 2024 I enrolled on the Help to Grow: Management Course at the University of the West of Scotland on the advice of Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce." “The course was fantastic for giving me the ideas, tools and contacts I needed. The module on digital adoption opened my eyes to see how we could put new technology to work to resolve the issues we were having with our systems and position us for future success. It was so inspiring that I then did a follow-on course on AI and future technologies, which introduced me to the university’s KTP scheme.” Houston Kiltmakers has now embarked on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the UWS School of Business & Creative Industries, embedding a full-time digital transformation specialist in the business for up to three years. The results are transforming the operational side of the business while leaving its handmade craft untouched. KTP Associate Benjamin Chang, Houston's Digital Transformation Manager, has worked with the business to build an AI model that reads decades of handwritten order forms and converts them into a searchable database - turning a 15-minute hunt through the archive into a search that takes seconds. The business’s kilt hire operation is being fully digitised, and a prototype ‘AI mirror’ is in development which will let customers anywhere in the world see themselves in a full Highland outfit before ordering. Flora Hamilton, Executive Director of the Small Business Charter which delivers the Help to Grow: Management Course, adds: "Houston Kiltmakers is an extraordinary business with more than a century of heritage, with every kilt handmade and tailored by craftsmen and women to last a lifetime. Its story has been built on this commitment to quality and its first-class personal service. Ewan came to the course knowing they needed to adopt new technologies to set the foundations for future success. The Help to Grow: Management Course gave him the knowledge, tools and confidence to lead that change." "It also connected him to the wider expertise of his host university. That's the power of delivering the course through our network of 60+ Small Business Charter accredited business schools. The relationship doesn't end after 12 weeks; as Houston Kiltmakers’ KTP with the University of the West of Scotland shows, it can open doors business owners didn't know existed. Seeing a fourth-generation family business use AI to protect its craft for the generations to come is exactly the kind of impact we're proud to support." The Help to Grow: Management Course is a 90% government-funded leadership programme for SME businesses, delivered by a network of Small Business Charter accredited business schools. The course runs over 12 weeks and includes online and face-to-face sessions, 10 hours of 1-to-1 mentoring and peer networking. Its mission is to increase economic growth and productivity through improved management and leadership practice. To find out more about Houston Kiltmakers, visit: kiltmakers.com

Multi-award-winning Cleanology is celebrating after becoming what is thought to be the first UK commercial cleaning company to become a B Corporation and holder of an EcoVadis silver medal. Cleanology’s certification as a B Corporation (or B Corp™) sees it join a growing movement of companies that are reinventing business for the benefit of all people and our shared planet. Verified by B Lab, the not-for-profit behind the B Corp movement, the achievement demonstrates that Cleanology meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability alongside a commitment to goals beyond shareholder value. The news comes as the ongoing climate crisis and widening social inequality continue to pose urgent challenges to the economy. B Corp Certification assesses the entirety of a business’s operations and covers impact areas related to practices around governance, workers, community, the environment and customers. The certification process is rigorous with companies required to provide evidence on performance while legally embedding their commitment to purpose as well as profit in their company articles. Cleanology’s recognition of an EcoVadis silver medal is a prestigious sustainability badge presented only to companies that rank in the top 15 percent of all businesses evaluated globally by the largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. It signifies that the family-owned company has established a highly structured sustainability management system and demonstrated solid performance across Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards. The assessment evaluates 21 distinct sustainability criteria divided into ‘Four Evaluation Pillars’ namely: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement. Chairman and Co-Founder of Cleanology Dominic Ponniah said: “Achieving B Corp™ certification is a major milestone for Cleanology and a reflection of our core belief that business can be a force for good. This validation proves that our team’s daily work balance’s purpose with profit. We are proud to join a global community of leaders who are raising the standard for social and environmental responsibility, and we view this certification not as a finish line, but as a deeper commitment to our ongoing impact." “Earning the EcoVadis silver medal is another major achievement for Cleanology, reflecting our deep commitment to embedding ESG metrics into our daily operations. This independent assessment reflects the hard work of our teams across environmental, labour, and ethical management practices”. Chris Turner, CEO of B Lab UK, said: “ We are delighted to welcome Cleanology to the B Corp™ community. This is a movement of companies that are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good." "We know that Cleanology is going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward. Its commitment to doing business differently will be an inspiration to others and will help spread the notion that services in business is as much about people and planet as it is profit”. Cleanology has led the way in sustainable, chemical-free cleaning for over 25 years, pioneering microfibre cloth and bio-enzyme products. Committed to achieving Net Zero by 2035, it prioritises eco-friendly purchasing, zero landfill, and plastic-free alternatives. It was the UK’s first cleaning company to introduce 100% sustainable uniforms with each one made from organic cotton and containing 2.5 plastic bottles. Cleanology has also invested in an electric van fleet saving 5,000 litres of diesel per year. The company - headquartered in Vauxhall, South West London, and with regional offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Scotland - operates a zero-landfill policy, turning any waste that can’t be recycled into energy. To minimise single use plastics, it utilises reusable cleaning cloths which can be washed and reused up to 150 times. Cleanology is multi award winning, recognised by Global Good, Green Apple and the European Cleaning and Hygiene Awards. It was awarded the ESG and Social Impact Award at the Scale-Up Awards 2024.