Last updated at 19:52, Friday, 23 October 2009

The winners of this year's CN Group Business Awards were revealed at a lavish ceremony last night.

• Video: CN Group Business Awards 2009

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Denise Hutton-Gosney, of Carlisle-based Razzamataz, claimed the honour in the CN Group Business Awards 2009 held at Penrith’s Rheged Discovery Centre tonight.

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne was the star speaker as more than 250 of Cumbria’s most influential industry chiefs gathered to toast a year of achievement in the face of adversity for the Cumbrian business community.

Other winners included Penrith photocopier retailer Trade Copiers (Exporter of the Year), Carlisle training company System Group (Business of the Year, medium), Ullswater Steamers (Environmental Awareness) and Twoey Toys, the Wigton toy maker (Manufacturing and Engineering).

Ms Hutton-Gosney, who won a £50,000 investment from Scottish millionaire Duncan Bannatyne after her pitch to the dragons on the BBC2 show, caps a remarkable year on the rise for her Razzamataz empire.

Set up in Penrith in 2000, with a grant from the Prince’s Trust, the company now operates 31 theatre schools, with 2,480 children and European stage academies in 17 holiday resorts.

She beat off strong competition from fellow Carlisle businesswomen Elizabeth Brierley, of the Hair@Jibe salon chain and Tanya and Sonya Haandrikman, of card retailer Celebrations.

Businessman of the Year was Sean Parnaby, who transformed Maryport window and door firm West Port into one of the fastest growing businesses in Cumbria.

The Lifetime Achievement award went to Mike Smith, managing director of west Cumbria engineering training firm Gen II.

In the most keenly fought category, Manager of the Year, the judges could not separate Alistair Urquhart, of service station owner Westmorland Limited and Karon Kirkland, of Penrith’s Ghyllmount Dental Practice, so they shared first prize.

And 25-year-old beauty salon boss Sarah Simpson, of The Loft Beauty Rooms, of Orton Grange, near Carlisle, won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year title.

The winners:

Training & Development Award: Westlakes Engineering Limited

Exporter of the Year Award: Trade Copiers Limited

Community Involvement Award: BAE Systems Submarine Solutions

Manufacturing & Engineering Award: Twoey Toys, Mike Miller Associates

Innovation & Technology: Oxley Developments Co. Ltd.

Environmental Awareness Award: Ullswater Steamers

Tourist attraction (public vote): Upfront Gallery and puppet theatre

Business of the Year (Small): Rothay Garden Hotel

Business of the Year (Medium): System Group

Business of the Year (Large): Cumberland Building Society

Manager of the Year: Alistair Urquhart, Westmorland Limited & Karon Kirkland, Ghyllmount Dental Practice (joint winners)

Employee of the Year: Ross Nicolson, Kingmoor Park Properties

Young Entrepreneur: Sarah Simpson, The Loft Beauty Rooms

Businessman of the Year: Sean Parnaby, West Port

Businesswoman of the Year: Denise Hutton-Gosney, Razzamataz

Lifetime Contribution: Mike Smith, Gen II

First published at 14:50, Thursday, 22 October 2009
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk