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BAROMETER UP
▲ Vault Youth Zone is celebrating hitting a major milestone after officially receiving the keys to its state-of-the-art building. The handover marks the completion of construction on the £11.9m project in Preston, which will soon open its doors to thousands of young people.
Derry Green with Mark Gibbons ARE YOU READY
FOR LANCASHIRE’S BIGGEST BUSINESS CELEBRATION?
FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
19 JANUARY 2026 Awards ceremony:
Thursday 12 March 2026, Winter Gardens Blackpool
redroseawards.co.uk @redroseawards
#RRA26
▲ Waste haulage firm Monk Contractors is driving ahead with growth plans by expanding the company’s fleet and staff numbers after signing a contract with Lancashire Renewables. The Mellor Brook-based waste haulage firm has invested £7m into offering a new fleet of 35 vehicles for Lancashire Renewables.
▲ Business owners, partners and supporters attended a special Rosebud event as it approaches its 40th anniversary. Rosebud, part of Lancashire County Council’s Business Growth Service, aims to support organisations in Lancashire to grow and scale and offers financial and growth support. The afternoon at La Locanda in Gisburn was a chance to reflect on the impact of Rosebud and look ahead to the future for Lancashire’s SMEs.
▲ Leyland based online bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing has seen its pre-tax profits soar by 68 per cent to £15.1m driven by record revenues. Announcing its annual figures, the group reported that revenue rose five per cent to £310m in the year to September 30, 2025, after order volume grew by six per cent to a record 1.1 million.
▲ Lancaster University has been awarded a Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education for its pioneering work helping to drive a global transformation in digital literacy. The nation’s highest education honour has been given to the university for its creation and development of core technology for the BBC micro:bit, a pocket-sized programmable computer.
▲ Blackburn based Cronshaw Electrical has announced a strategic collaboration with PK Engineering and Hardtech High Voltage (HV), a specialist in high-voltage engineering and part of the Hardtech Engineering Service Group. The partnership unites the engineering teams to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end mechanical and electrical solutions to clients across the north of England.
▲ Luxury cruise retailer Panache plans to expand internationally after agreeing a £2.75m refinance package with HSBC UK. The fast-growing company intends to open up new offices in Canada and Australia in the first half of 2026 as well as strengthen its head office team in Chorley.
▲ Blackburn’s independent family-run jewellery store, Ainsworth Jewellers, marked a milestone moment with a spectacular weekend of celebrations to honour 60 years at its Darwen Street premises and 155 years in business.
▲ Leyland Trucks has welcomed 21 new apprentices to its award-winning scheme, further strengthening its commitment to developing homegrown talent. More than 800 candidates applied for roles.
▲ Darwen-based aerospace engineering business, Brookhouse Aerospace, has acquired precision engineering manufacturer Parker Precision. Kenny Worth, executive chairman of Brookhouse Aerospace says the acquisition ‘is just the next step’ in its mission ‘to build a leading mid-market company servicing aerospace and defence industries’.
See our Toolkit feature on Page 67
▲ Hurt Plant Hire has officially rebranded and will know be known as Fox Brothers (Leyland), trading as Fox Group. The move follows the 2020 acquisition of Hurt Plant Hire by Fox Brothers, strengthening its position as a leading provider of plant hire, construction, muckaway and aggregate services across the UK.
▲ Burnley College has announced its new principal and chief executive, describing the appointment as “marking the start of an ambitious new chapter”. Jason Faulkner takes on the role following the resignation of Karen Buchanan in July. Her deputy Kate Wallace had been acting as interim principal.
▲ Jane Cole, managing director of Blackpool Transport Services, has been given an OBE for services to public transport and to the community. She has led Blackpool Transport since 2014 and made a huge contribution to improving bus and tram services on the Fylde coast. She joined the organisation after more than three decades in the rail industry.
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