Wigan Borough Business Awards finalists come together ahead of awards night

Finalists from across the area came together for a special celebration ahead of the Wigan Borough Business Awards 2026.

Around 90 representatives from this year's 53 finalists attended the WBBA Finalists Celebration, sponsored by GM Business Growth Hub, bringing together businesses, organisations and individuals shortlisted across 13 award categories.

Held at The Brick Community Stadium, the event gave finalists an opportunity to celebrate reaching this stage of the awards, meet fellow finalists and make new connections ahead of awards night on Saturday September 26.

Guests were welcomed by the Wigan Borough Business Awards organising team and heard a special message from Catherine O'Kelly, CEO of Calisen, which returns as headline sponsor of WBBA for the second consecutive year.

Catherine shared her congratulations with this year's finalists and spoke about Calisen's continued support for the awards and the Wigan Borough business community.

The Finalists Celebration was sponsored by GM Business Growth Hub, which has supported Wigan Borough Business Awards from the beginning as sponsor of the Networking Reception and this year extended its support to include the finalists event.

Anthony Baldwin of GM Business Growth Hub and WBBA Ambassador said:

“It was fantastic to meet so many businesses from across Wigan borough and hear about their achievements and ambitions.

“Having colleagues from our Growth, Innovation and Key Account Management teams alongside me gave us a great opportunity to make new connections and explore how we can support businesses to grow.

“We’re proud to sponsor the Finalists Celebration and look forward to celebrating everyone’s achievements on awards night.”

Jackie Salt, director of Attain and co-founder of the awards, said:

"Bringing our finalists together ahead of awards night is something we really value.

“Reaching the final is an achievement in itself, and we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to take a moment to celebrate that, meet their fellow finalists and make some new connections.

“It was fantastic to welcome around 90 representatives from our finalists and see businesses, organisations and individuals from so many different sectors together in one room.

“There has been an incredible amount of work happening behind the scenes over recent months and the Finalists Celebration really does feel like the point when everything starts to become very real.

“The next time we'll all be together will be awards night, and we can't wait to welcome everyone back to The Brick Community Stadium on September 26."

Organised by Professionals of Wigan (POW), Fubhub and Attain, the awards recognise businesses, organisations and individuals from across the borough, with finalists selected through a fair, transparent and independent judging process.

WBBA also holds the Awards Trust Mark Outstanding Accreditation, recognising its commitment to fairness, transparency and best practice throughout the awards process.

The organising team extended its thanks to everyone who helped make the Finalists Celebration possible, including The Brick Community Stadium team for hosting the event and their continued support of WBBA, and Wigan Council for its support on the day.

Thanks also went to Pinnacle Branding, WBBA's Signage Sponsor, for supporting the event with branding assets, helping create a real sense of occasion for the finalists as they arrived.

A special thank you was also given to Michelle Charnock Photographer, who once again supported WBBA by capturing the celebration and providing a lasting record of the finalists coming together ahead of awards night.

This year's 53 finalists span 13 categories, representing businesses and organisations of different sizes and sectors, alongside individuals recognised for their achievements and contribution.

For more information about Wigan Borough Business Awards 2026 and to view this year's finalists, visit Wigan Borough Business Awards website  - www.wiganboroughbusinessawards.co.uk