Celebrating Ards Peninsula Business at Its Best
There’s nothing quite like a room full of local businesses coming together to celebrate success, and that’s exactly what we experienced at this year’s Ards Peninsula Business Awards.
Held at the Clandeboye Lodge Hotel, the evening was full of energy as businesses from across the peninsula gathered to recognise their achievements, share their stories, and take a well-earned moment to celebrate.
As lead sponsor, we here at Ards Business Hub were proud to be right at the heart of it. For us, this isn’t just about supporting an event, it’s about celebrating the people and businesses that make our local economy thrive.
A celebration of local ambition
The Ards Peninsula Business Awards are all about shining a light on what’s happening right here on our doorstep. The range of industries represented on the night spoke volumes about the depth of talent across Newtownards and the peninsula.
Behind every nomination and every win is a story of hard work, resilience, and determination. While the awards themselves matter, what makes nights like this truly special is the sense of community; businesses coming together to connect, collaborate, and support one another.
That spirit is something we see every day at Ards Business Hub, and events like this play an important role in nurturing and celebrating it.
“It was fantastic to see so many of our clients in the room on the night – businesses we’ve had the privilege of supporting on their journey, from early ideas through to growth and success. Seeing them recognised at the Ards Peninsula Business Awards was incredibly rewarding and a real reminder of the strength, ambition, and talent within our local business community.”
Nichola Lockhart, Chief Executive
Why Ards Business Hub is involved
At Ards Business Hub, our focus is simple: we’re here to help local businesses start, grow, and succeed.
Being lead sponsor of the Ards Peninsula Business Awards is a natural extension of that commitment. It’s about championing our business community and giving it the platform it deserves, but our support goes far beyond one event.
Every day, we work with businesses across Newtownards and the peninsula by providing:
- Practical business support and advice to help turn ideas into reality
- Flexible meeting and training spaces for collaboration, workshops, and events
- Property rental opportunities to help businesses establish themselves locally.
Whether you’re just starting out, scaling up, or looking for the right space to bring people together, we’re here to support your journey.
“Ards Business Hub has been a valued partner at the Ards Peninsula Business Awards, championing entrepreneurship and supporting business growth across our region. Their commitment to helping local businesses thrive makes them a fitting lead sponsor, and we are grateful for their continued support.”
Derek Wright, President of Newtownards Chamber of Trade
A night to remember
It was fantastic to see so many businesses recognised for their achievements, and we extend our congratulations to everyone who entered, was shortlisted as finalists, and received an award.
We were especially pleased to see a number of our clients, tenants, and partners among the winners and finalists, a reflection of the ambition and talent we’re proud to support every day.
On the night, our Chief Executive, Nichola Lockhart, presented the award for Best New Business to client Marc McKee of Renatus Collective (trading as My Journey with Marc & ElastiK Skin). We were also delighted to see our current clients:
- Avril McIlveen of The Goose Coffee House win Best Non-Licensed Business
- Lauren Clarke of Limitless Fitness Female Only Gym take home the Sports & Wellbeing Business award.
Many of our other clients were recognised as finalists or highly commended, including our client Creative Changemakers, acknowledged in both Best Creative Business and Purpose Driven Organisation of the Year, and Bespoke Staging NI and A Touch of India who were both recognised as finalists in the Best New Business category.
It was equally encouraging to celebrate the success of past clients, including:
- Indie Füde – Outstanding Independent Retailer
- Abbey Films – Best Creative Business
- Eden Beauty Portaferry – finalist in Business Growth
We were also proud to see several of our current and past tenants recognised, including A Slice of Heaven, highly commended for Best Family Business, alongside Lauren Pinkney Health & Fitness, Global Ocean Logistics Ltd, and SJO Accountants Ltd, all finalists in their respective categories. Alongside our tenants we seen many of our frequent meeting space users such as ACE Vets NI, Knotts and Hendersons.
Finally, we were pleased to see key stakeholders acknowledged, including The Warehouse / North Down Community Works, Portaferry Regeneration Ltd, and Specsavers Newtownards, led by our Director Nikki Gardiner.
Our thanks go to Ards Chamber of Trade and all partners involved for delivering such a fantastic event, a true celebration of the local business community.
Photographs provided by our talented associate Gillian Robb.
What comes next?
If the awards showed us anything, it’s that the future for business across Ards and the Peninsula is bright. There is ambition here, innovation here, and, most importantly, a community that supports one another.
At Ards Business Hub, we’re proud to play our part in that story. Whether through business support, workspace, or creating opportunities for connection, we’re here to help local businesses keep moving forward.
If you’re a local business looking for support, space, or your next opportunity to grow, get in touch with our team today – we’d love to help you take the next step.
Thank you to everyone who engaged with us in the lead-up to and on the night of the awards. We look forward to continuing to work with and support this incredible business community.
