Praise for fantastic five Queen’s Award winners

The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership today paid tribute to five companies across the region who have won the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

The Marches LEP – the organisation charged with driving economic growth across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin – said the impressive rollcall of winners showed the enormous wealth of business talent across the region.

The LEP helps launch and promote the annual awards – regarded as the highest honour any UK business can achieve.

This year’s winners from Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin are:

Aviramp Limited – Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding short-term growth

Telford-based Aviramp Limited started trading in 2009 and designs, manufactures and installs bespoke access ramps, with patent protection, throughout the globe to industries including aviation, road, marine, rail, leisure and hospitality. Overseas sales have grown by 135% over the three year application period and the proportion of sales exported has increased to 94% of total sales.

Landau Limited - Queen’s Award for Promoting Opportunity

The Wellington-based charity was founded in 1995 and helps disadvantaged people in areas of high deprivation to fulfil their potential, achieve happy, healthy lives, and actively contribute to family and community life. This year the Charity has helped 2,000 individuals to develop skills, gain work experience or enter paid employment.

M Lloyd Engineering Limited – Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding short-term growth

The ten-year-old Leominster company designs and makes excavator mounted screening machinery used in the agricultural, landscaping and construction sectors. It sells through dealers and distributors overseas and overseas sales have grown by 299% over three years. Overseas sales as a percentage of total sales now stand at 71.6%.

Reconomy (UK) Ltd – Queen’s Award for Innovation

Telford-based Reconomy (UK) Limited has developed a centralised digital commissioning platform that connects waste producers with waste management providers. The platform is unique and provides an efficient way for small waste management companies to generate business and engage with large waste producers. 94% of waste processed through the system avoids landfill versus a national average of 75%.

Scanning Pens Ltd – Queen’s Award for International Trade for outstanding short-term growth

Scanning Pens Ltd is a worldwide education technology company based in Telford which provides support to students with reading difficulties, guided by its co-founders, Jack Churchill and Toby Sutton. The last three years has seen a significant increase in its overseas markets. Overseas Sales have grown by 216% and the percentage of sales exported has also grown from 44% to 60%.

The winners each receive a number of benefits, including an invitation to a Royal reception, a special crystal trophy presented by the Lord Lieutenant, the right to fly the award flag at their headquarters and use the logo in their marketing for five years as well as worldwide recognition as a winner.

Marches LEP chair Mandy Thorn MBE said she was delighted that so many companies across the region had been successful.

“It is easy to dismiss the Marches as a sleepy backwater where little happens, but these awards show that the region is home to thriving, dynamic and innovative businesses which are doing some amazing work.

“It is hugely satisfying to see all these companies honoured in this way and receive the recognition they so richly deserve. But it also a reflection on our wider business community which makes this such a fantastic place to live and do business.

“These winners are just the tip of the iceberg and we hope to encourage very many more to apply for this year’s awards when they are officially launched later in the summer.”

Previous Marches winners include Telford-based Protolabs, automotive casting specialist Grainger & Worrall of Bridgnorth and Ross on Wye company Safelane Global.

To be eligible for a Queen’s Award, a company must be based in the UK, have at least two full time UK employees or part-time equivalents, file its company tax returns with HMRC, be a self-contained enterprise that markets its own products or services under its own management and demonstrate strong corporate social responsibility.