Together with our colleagues Bradford Council and the Bradford Chamber, the Telegraph & Argus is proud to be once again inviting you to enter the annual Bradford Means Business Awards.

We're delighted to be gearing up to commemorate the Bradford business community with our fifth gala awards ceremony - recognised by many now as a major date in the Bradford district business calendar.

Once again we will be holding our event at the Aagrah Midpoint Suite in Thornbury, this year on Saturday, June 13.

That might seem a long way off, but there’s a lot of work to do before then... and it starts with you getting your entries in. We once again have 11 categories, and this year have a new one for you to consider - Apprentice of the Year.

You can find full details of how to enter on Page 14, and each of the following pages is devoted to an individual category, with criteria, information about the sponsors, and details of who won last year - just to give you some inspiration!

MAKE YOUR NOMINATIONS FOR THE BRADFORD MEANS BUSINESS AWARDS 2015

The Bradford Means Business Awards aim to give much-deserved recognition to those businesses, large and small, and those entrepreneurs, new or established, who have not only survived some of the worst trading conditions for decades, but forged ahead.

When we started these awards, we knew there were a lot of strong companies and ambitious business people in the Bradford district. But over the past years, the numbers and strength of entries in the Bradford Means Business Awards have delighted and surprised us, year after year.

We enjoy seeing the big names from Bradford’s business landscape entering, of course, but we also love to hear from firms and individuals who perhaps have been under the radar, yet quietly forging ahead in their chosen field.

Once again, we’ll be asking our readers to nominate the best retail and hospitality businesses which give them good service, and also asking employees to put in a good word for their bosses in the Employer of the Year category.

We run the awards each year in partnership with Bradford Council which, alongside the T&A, recognises the massive contribution that business makes to our community. We couldn’t do it without their help or without the magnificent support of the city’s leading business organisation, Bradford Chamber, and the backing of the ten other established and important sponsors. businesses and organisations who sponsor our individual awards.

The T&A’s Bradford Means Business Awards are a magnificent example of the public and private sector working together for the good of the whole district. With the support of those who enter, may they long continue.

Perry Austin-Clarke, T&A editor

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