A leading Staffordshire company is celebrating a fantastic double in two prestigious business awards competitions.

James T. Blakeman and Co. Ltd has just been announced as a finalist in the Staffordshire Chambers’ 2018 Business Awards in the Manufacturer of the Year category.

The honour follows hard on the heels of a similar nomination in this year’s Signal Radio “Inspiration in Business” Awards where the company was put forward for “training excellence.”

James Morris, Head of Business Development at the Newcastle-under-Lyme based firm, said: “It is a tremendous honour to get through to the final stages of such important awards against the best the business world has to offer in this area.

“It is testament to the hard work and commitment of all of the staff here at Blakemans. We aim to produce quality products that our customers love and when you get recognition for your efforts it is a great boost to all concerned.”

The response to Staffordshire Chambers’ 2018 Business Awards has been overwhelming with hundreds of high quality entries across all categories.

Sara Williams, Staffordshire Chambers’ Chief Executive, said: “It is great to see how the entries have developed and far exceeded previous years in terms of quality. We see this as a testimony to the healthy state and award-winning potential of businesses within Staffordshire.

“I would like to thank the judges for their dedication to the task and the businesses who took the time to enter. Many congratulations to all of our finalists and commended businesses.”

All finalists will now be visited by the judging panels with the winners announced at a gala awards evening at the Staffordshire County Showground on Thursday, 5 July 2018.

More than 400 guests from across the county are anticipated, where they will enjoy a delicious meal and celebrate the achievements of the Staffordshire finalists.

Judges will visit Blakemans to tour its impressive facility on 7 June.

Mr Morris said: “This year is our 65th anniversary and it would be amazing if we can mark such a special year by winning the Staffordshire Chambers’ Award. We have certainly got our fingers crossed and are looking forward to welcoming the two judges to the business in the next few days to show them around what is rightly regarded as one of the leading factories of its kind in Europe.”