Doncaster Chamber encourages businesses to bring national recognition to the city.

Today, Doncaster Chamber hosted an event to discuss the King’s Awards and what makes a successful nomination. Charities and aspiring businesses from across the city met at the Holiday Inn Express Doncaster, to discuss success stories, what makes a successful nomination and why receiving the award is so beneficial.

Attendees heard directly from Doncaster Chamber about the range of national recognition opportunities available and how these could apply to their organisations. The King’s Award for Enterprise attracted strong interest from some of Doncaster’s leading innovators, ambitious growth focused businesses and organisations championing sustainability. Charities also gained valuable insights, including practical guidance on identifying the most suitable nominator for the King’s Award for Voluntary Service.

Craig McKay South Yorkshire’s Deputy Lord Lieutenant shared valuable insights from his experience, offering practical advice on how to craft a strong and distinctive application. He explored each award category in detail, demonstrating how they can apply to businesses of all sizes and sectors, and provided attendees with a behind-the-scenes overview of the Lord Lieutenant’s role in the process.

Craig also highlighted how Yorkshire and the Humber compares nationally in terms of award recognition, currently ranking eighth out of thirteen UK regions. Many attendees felt this position does not reflect the depth of talent and achievement across South Yorkshire, reinforcing the need to encourage more high-quality nominations from the region.

The roundtable brought together previous King’s Award winners and aspiring applicants to share their experiences, successes, and challenges throughout the application process. Lindsy James, Director and Founder of Active Fusion, spoke about the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, offering an inspiring perspective for Doncaster charities and explaining how the recognition helped place the organisation firmly on the map.

She highlighted the importance of building strong evidence over many years and submitting a detailed impact report. Above all, she stressed that the award is a celebration of volunteers, recognising the dedication and impact of unpaid staff. Lindsy also prepared potential applicants for a busy period following success, marked by interviews and visits, and praised the continued encouragement and support of the Deputy Lieutenants throughout the process.

They also heard from Max Peake, IT Director of Ascendant Solutions, on how their businesses achieved the King’s Award for enterprise. He shared their experience in applying for the Innovation category of the award and gave insightful advice on the lengthy process of submitting a successful application.

He emphasised the importance of strong collaboration within the team and presenting a cohesive, unified narrative throughout the application. He also addressed and clarified common misconceptions about the award process, including the belief that winners usually larger companies.

Sian Booth, Head of Policy and Partnerships at the Doncaster Chamber said: “At Doncaster Chamber, we are passionate about making Doncaster the very best place to do business. We firmly believe that the businesses across our region deserve greater recognition for the incredible work they do. Being in a room full of such ambitious businesses was truly inspiring and perfectly reflected the strength, potential and collective success of Doncaster’s business community.”

Doncaster Chamber is calling on businesses and business leaders to apply for this prestigious award or nominate a worthy individual, helping to showcase the strength of our business community and reinforce Doncaster’s reputation as an outstanding place to do business.