Councillor Ian Ward and Professor Carl Chinn MBE were amongst the winners at this year’s Birmingham Awards, the annual celebration of people doing great work across the city. A total of 23 accolades were handed out in the seventh annual awards, held at Eastside Rooms on Friday (11th November).
Birmingham City Council Leader, Cllr Ian Ward, was presented with the Special Recognition Award to mark his history in making Birmingham a great place to live, work, and invest. In particular, his role in helping the city take centre stage by hosting this year’s Commonwealth Games.
He accepted his award via video link from Poland, where he also announced that the city had just been successful in its bid to host the European Athletics Championships in 2026.
Another city legend, Professor Carl Chinn MBE was given this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award, in which he gave an impassioned speech about the power of Birmingham on the global stage and the role of Brummies in celebrating its rich and diverse history. He commented:
“The Birmingham Awards are unique in their inclusiveness and diversity and in the sensitive way they bring together all the people of our city through embracing our collective passion for Birmingham. I was honoured to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award and it is most special to receive such an honour from the people to whom I belong, the people of Birmingham. I felt and feel that I received it not only for myself but also for all the people who have supported me in my work highlighting the vitality of the working class of our city.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award is also joined by Brummie of the Year as surprise awards handed out on the night to recognise the work of people who are dedicated to raising the profile of the city and making it an even better place to live.
This year’s Male Brummie of the Year went to Doug Wright MBE, who owns 23 McDonald’s restaurants across the region and is also a Board member for Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. Female Brummie of the Year was picked up by Tara Attfield-Tomes, who runs award-winning PR agency, EAST VILLAGE. and was recognised for her work across the city including her charity work and being co-founder of Let’s Feed Brum, which recently received a Queen’s Award For Voluntary Service.
There were over 500 nominations for the main Birmingham Awards categories this year, with over 120,000 votes cast by the public. The full list of winners are:
- Arts & Culture Award: OPUS (Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces) – sponsored by Steps To Work
- Young Achiever: Liya Butler, Lily’s Tea Parlour – sponsored by Pathway Group
- Bar & Pub of The Year: Albert’s Schloss – sponsored by Elonex
- Charity of the Year: Birmingham Crisis Centre – sponsored by Bootcamp Media
- Family Business of the Year: Little Owl Tuition – sponsored by Hollywood Monster
- Independent Online Retailer: Lounge Underwear – sponsored by UK News Group
- Independent Retailer of the Year: Spectacle Emporium – sponsored by Steps To Work
- Restaurant of the Year: Chai Green – sponsored by Bootcamp Media
- Contribution to Education: Graide – sponsored by South & City College Birmingham
- Social Enterprise Award: Digbeth Dining CIC – sponsored by Steps To Work
- Sporting Initiative of the Year: Sporting Your Futures – sponsored by B Events Media
- Start-up of the Year: Rourke’s Pies – sponsored by Shakespeare Martineau
- Business of the Year: Aspire Active Education Group – sponsored by Motor Serv UK
- Businesswoman of the Year: Amy Cunningham, The Strings Club Ltd – sponsored by Pathway Group
- Businessman of the Year: Nick Moore, Link Engineering (Birmingham) – sponsored by Bootcamp Media
- Small Business of the Year: Culture Recruitment Group – sponsored by Birmingham City University
- Community Champion Award: Mahvish Akram, WBC Women’s Boxing Club – sponsored by Oxbridge
- Employee of the Year: Annie Paul-Baig, Bread Birmingham – sponsored by Pathway Group
- Networker of the Year: Amy Deakin, Western Union Business Solutions – sponsored by Bootcamp Media
- Special Recognition: Councillor Ian Ward
- Brummie of the Year: Doug Wright and Tara Attfield-Tomes
- Lifetime Achievement: Professor Carl Chinn MBE
The theme of this year’s Birmingham Awards, #TheLegacyContinues, recognised the impact of the Commonwealth Games on the city and the opportunity to continue supporting local communities. Event host, Phil Oldershaw, talked about his personal experience in being involved in the epic 11-day event. The 550-strong audience also helped raise £4,000 for the event’s chosen charity, LoveBrum, which unearths and supports hidden gem projects across the city.
The event also celebrated local talent, with live performances from Friendly Fire Band, who were made famous by “It’s A Brum Ting” featuring across the official Commonwealth Games adverts; spoken word artist, Raza Hussain; dance troupe Eloquent Praise Dance Company; and ‘house band’, Candy and the Sound.
The Birmingham Awards are organised by Ifraz Ahmed and Anita Chumber, co-founders of B EVENTS Media. Speaking about the success of the event, they said:
“Being a passion project for us, we want to recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations that positively impact our communities. Birmingham is a diverse city and we want to shine a spotlight on all levels of society to promote the growth of our great city, Birmingham.”
