Revenues grew by 10.5 per cent to £168.8m up from £152.7m.
▲ Rosebud says businesses it has backed contributed £20.4m to the county economy over the past year. The Lancashire County Council-backed growth finance provider also reported a £10.7m increase in sales among supported businesses. The cohort generated an additional £4m in goods and services provided and recorded a combined turnover of £58.5m.
▲ Blackburn College has teamed up with the University of Lancashire and East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust to launch a new nursing apprenticeship. The Level 5 Nursing Associate Degree Apprenticeship course involves weekly college attendance and on-the-job learning in placements with the trust.
▲ Leyland based bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing has announced a record operational performance in its first half year results to March 31, 2026. The business has seen gross profit rise by 9.3 per cent to £87.7m, operating profits were up 44 per cent to £9.8m and EBITDA also increased 11.8 per cent to £17m.
▲ A new £3.2m luxury lodge development is set to open this summer at Partington’s Windy Harbour Holiday Park on the Fylde coast. Lake View features 16 premium holiday lodges at the park, situated on the banks of the River Wyre at Poulton.
Louise Sydenham Deputy chief executive
@elancschamber
THE NORTH NEEDS MORE
THAN WORDS This month could bring seismic political change. A new occupant of Number 10 may soon be walking through the doors of Whitehall. But whoever forms the next government, one question matters for businesses across our region: what will it mean for the North?
We need a renewed focus on the North and a genuine understanding of those parts of the country that have missed out on investment for too long. This must go beyond slogans about levelling up. It requires a clear commitment to unlocking the North of England’s economic potential and delivering the investment needed to realise it.
The UK needs every economic lever available to drive growth, and unleashing the North’s economy is central to that ambition. Our region is a powerhouse of advanced manufacturing, innovation, skills and expertise, competing on a global stage despite being held back by inadequate infrastructure.
▲ Northcote’s Lisa Goodwin-Allen has received the Craft Guild of Chefs Special Award. Lisa has led the kitchen at the Ribble Valley Michelin-starred venue since the age of 23 and has served as chef patron-director since 2025. The award recognises her contribution to the hospitality industry and culinary profession.
The North is home to ambitious, growing businesses working with some of the world’s biggest names. Yet many still struggle to attract and retain the skilled people they need, from apprentices and graduates to experienced professionals.
Transport is fundamental. The rest of the North deserves the connectivity that has helped drive Manchester’s success, improving access to jobs, education, customers and freight.
DOWN
▼ Firms in the North West recorded a slight decrease in business activity in May, against a backdrop of strong inflationary pressures and heightened uncertainty, the latest NatWest Growth Tracker showed. The North West Business Activity Index, which measures changes in the region’s output of goods and services, registered 49.8 in May, coming in just below the 50.0 no-change mark that separates growth from contraction. The latest reading was down from April’s 50.5 figure.
▼ Fylde coast based polymer manufacturer Victrex announced it was set to axe around 50 of its UK workers with most of the job losses at its Thornton- Cleveleys plant. The company revealed plans to cut a tenth of its 1,100-strong
global workforce after plunging to a substantial loss over the past six months amid rising competition from China, high UK energy costs and economic uncertainty.
▼ Lancashire County Council’s Trading Standards officers removed 200 non- compliant toys from sale in shops in Lancashire, as none were found to be correctly labelled with a UK supplier’s name and address. The swift intervention happened after worried parents flagged toys with ‘strong chemical smells’ and a ‘sticky texture.’ Officers were also warning that many of these illegal toys often look like food, such as jelly cubes, butter blocks or steamed buns, which could cause choking or ingestion hazards to small children.
That is particularly true for Lancashire. We have enormous strengths and significant untapped potential, but we continue to be held back by underinvestment. The next Prime Minister has an opportunity to change that by putting in place an investment strategy that benefits both Lancashire and the wider UK.
It is long overdue.
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