48 FAMILY BUSINESS
MEARS CARPETS
Founded in Fishergate, Preston, in 1802 during the reign of George III and before the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo, Mears is a sixth-generation family business with a direct father-to-son line. Originally brush manufacturers and wholesale and retail hardware merchants, it quickly added other merchandise which included toys, fancy and leather goods, carpets, complete house furniture, and furnishings. After a fire in 1984, it decided to specialise solely in carpets and floorcoverings and is still based in Preston, at Red Scar.
MORRIS QUALITY BAKERS
Morris Quality Bakers is a fourth-generation family business trading since 1912 in Chorley. It specialises in high-quality baked goods, including bread, morning goods and cakes. Henry Morris and his wife Christine are directors alongside daughters Katie Locke, Helen Murray, and Beverley Iddon. Beverley’s daughter Taya works for as a sales clerk and packer. Family values, honesty, and integrity are at the forefront of the business.
MRS DOWSONS
The dairy farm started in 1954 and has diversified, first into bottling milk in glass then into plastics for a specific market. In 2001 it began making luxury ice cream sold to local eateries. The Blackburn business went on to open a farm park and ice cream parlour in 2008 and it has become a major visitor attraction. Husband and wife team Amanda and Eric Dawson now have two sons and a daughter working in the business.
PARTINGTONS HOLIDAY PARKS
Our judges: Paul Nicholls, Helen Binns, Gemma Catlow and Carole Garrett Opinion
CELEBRATING THE SOUL OF LANCASHIRE
By Helen Binns, partner, Beever and Struthers
Family businesses are the soul of Lancashire. Rooted in the community, they support local jobs, trade with nearby suppliers, and often pass from one generation to the next.
It’s not just about running a business it’s about looking after your own.
These businesses thrive on the same values that shape Lancashire itself: hard work, care for family, and building something to last.
From shop floors to farm gates, their quiet determination helps keep the local economy strong.
We know how unique family businesses are, how closely personal and professional worlds can overlap. That’s why we offer advice that’s as personal as it is practical.
At Beever and Struthers, we’re proud of our North West roots. We’re here to help family businesses recover, grow, and keep doing what they do best: serving the community.
PININGTON
Based in Lancaster, this award-winning construction company delivers building, maintenance, mechanical, and electrical works across public and private sectors. It was started by Victor Ellis Pinington in 1948 – a plumbing contractor with a push bike. His sons David and Brian joined in the 1960s to train as
Partington was founded in November 1944 by John William Partington Snr, Mary Partington, Frank Partington and George Partington. Windy Harbour and Newton Hall Holiday Parks, close to Blackpool, are the longest established of its holiday parks, having been welcoming guests as far back as 1948. Today Partington’s has the fourth generation of the family at the helm with brother and sister team Andrea Challis and Robert Kearsley as its chief executives. The business has revealed plans for a £75m leisure destination at Windy Harbour.
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