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Nominations for this year’s Rossendale Business Awards close on Wednesday, October 20, and in the first two weeks, 86 companies and 23 individuals were nominated.

The Rossendale Business Awards are organized by Valley at Work, which brings local businesses together, and one of last year’s winners was The Lancashire Gift Company, a company based on sending Lancashire love gift boxes across the country.

From local beers to cookies, cheese, liquor, sauces and soap, everything is hand-packed in the company’s bespoke cardboard boxes.

At last year’s awards, the Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire-based company won the Part-Time Trophy. Now the company hopes to convert the space from a bedroom into an industrial facility.

Executive director Barbara Eastwood, a former teacher, is assisted in the business by counselor and friend Hazel Cridford.

Barbara said: “You’re never too old to try something new. All I ever knew was teaching, but there is life after the classroom. “

While looking for a present for friends who lived elsewhere, Barbara came up with the idea of ​​sending them “Nordliebe” and was looking for a gift box with locally made products.

When her search was unsuccessful, she started her own and in October 2019 the business was launched.

She said: “The first Christmas was very busy, January and February 2020 were slower, but then when the pandemic and lockdowns took hold our online business picked up pace because people couldn’t get into stores.

“We have received orders and large corporate customers who asked for 50 or 80, 100 or 300 gift boxes, and we just got an inquiry for 800.

“Contracting makes it easier for us to know what to order and makes packing easier, but we also needed larger space. The business has grown bigger pretty quickly than I ever expected. “

The company still offers tailor-made individual orders, and often the recipients become future customers when they pass the “Nordliebe” on to their friends.

When the company was nominated for an award, it was a shock.

She said, “It was great to be nominated; we were delighted to be named a finalist and shocked to win. It sharpened our profile and we received more orders. “

The company is looking for ad hoc staff to fulfill seasonal orders over Christmas as their hands have been on the pump last year to make sure every order was met.

Barbara added, “We were approached about making a Cumbria gift box and I can see the potential of the business model being expanded to other regions.

“It is important to us to keep the personal touch, to pack each box carefully by hand, to use good local products and to use recycled or biodegradable materials as much as possible. We also wrap gifts in customer’s own branded packaging.

“We are always looking for new local suppliers and manufacturers to contact us to expand our range in the boxes. Food and drinks must have a good shelf life. “

To nominate a company or enterprising person for an award this year, visit r-awards.co.uk/