With just three weeks remaining until nominations close for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025, ensure to submit your entries for the 10th annual celebration of the property and construction industry by Friday 15th August. It’s an ideal opportunity to boost your firm’s profile, showcase successes, reward teams, and bolster morale, all while reaching our audience of over 60,000 business readers. Scheduled to take place on Thursday 2nd October (4:30pm – 7:30pm), the Bricks shine a light on the outstanding work of those shaping the landscape of our region, recognising development projects, businesses and people in commercial and public building across the East Midlands – from offices, industrial and residential, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools. We also highlight the work of architects, agencies and those behind large schemes. The glittering awards ceremony revealing winners, at the famous Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, will also offer the perfect chance to forge new contacts with property and construction professionals from across the region. The event will additionally welcome Councillor Nadine Peatfield – Leader of Derby City Council, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands, as keynote speaker. To nominate your (or another) business/development for the East Midlands Bricks Awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page. Entry is free – with finalists also winning free tickets to the awards ceremony. Categories include:

• Contractor of the Year
• Developer of the Year
• Architects of the Year
• Most Active Agent
• Deal of the Year
• Residential Development of the Year
• Sustainable Development of the Year
• Commercial Development of the Year
• Excellence in Design
• Responsible Business of the Year
• Overall Winner

All finalists will have the chance to take home the Overall Winner award, which this year comes with a grand prize of a year of marketing/publicity worth £20,000, with the opportunity to split or gift the marketing to a charity of your choice.

Nominations will close on Friday 15th August.

New for this year, all entrants will also have the opportunity to be featured on our dedicated nominee showcase on the East Midlands Business Link website, providing space for marketing your achievements. Tickets can now be booked for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025, click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 2nd October in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. Connect with local decision makers over nibbles and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region.

The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025

What: The East Midlands Bricks Awards 2025 When: Thursday 2nd October (4.30pm – 7.30pm) Where: Derek Randall Suite, Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham Keynote speaker: Councillor Nadine Peatfield – Leader of Derby City Council, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Strategy and Policy, and Deputy Mayor of the East Midlands Tickets: Available here Dress code: Standard business attire Thanks to our sponsors:                                                                      

To be held at:

 

The East Midlands is positioning itself for significant economic growth with a £4bn Government investment designed to support business expansion, job creation, and infrastructure development. The investment will focus on a series of key projects across the region, including the Hartington-Staveley site in Chesterfield, Infinity Park in Derby, and The Explore Park in Worksop, all of which aim to attract businesses and provide new opportunities for local economies.

This funding, managed by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), is guided by the newly formed Inclusive Growth Commission. The commission, led by the Royal Society of Arts, is tasked with ensuring the region’s development benefits a broad spectrum of its population. The commission’s recommendations, due for publication in September, will inform the EMCCA’s Local Growth Plan, which outlines how the region will contribute to national economic objectives.

The strategy also includes developing transport corridors, such as the Derby-Nottingham Trent Arc, and sustainable tourism, stretching from the Peak District to Sherwood Forest. These projects aim to create 100,000 jobs, build 52,000 homes, and boost the region’s economy by £4.6bn.

Local leaders, including Mayor Claire Ward, have emphasised the importance of inclusive growth, ensuring that people across the region, including those in rural and deprived areas, have access to well-paid, secure jobs. Public transport improvements, with the eventual transfer of responsibilities from local councils to EMCCA, are a central part of this vision.

The Mayor’s approach focuses on fostering a healthy, active population capable of seizing the opportunities generated by these investments. A key part of this strategy is collaborating with health organisations to address public health challenges, including mental health and economic inactivity, to ensure that more people can participate in the growing economy.

Businesses and workers in the East Midlands are set to benefit from the UK’s trade deal with India, according to the Government, as new analysis shows the agreement will deliver a £130m boost for the local economy. Both Prime Ministers met yesterday morning for the signing of the UK-India trade deal, expected to bring a £4.8bn increase to UK GDP each year. 740 East Midlands businesses exported goods worth £130m to India last year, which could grow under the new deal. The region’s high value manufacturing and automation sectors, for example, could see a boost thanks to lower tariffs on advanced manufacturing goods and on importing Indian textiles. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “The millions brought to the East Midlands each year from the deal we’ve signed with India will be keenly felt across local communities, whether that’s higher wages for workers, more choice for shoppers, or increased overseas sales for businesses.” The UK already imports £11bn in goods from India but liberalised tariffs on Indian goods will make it easier and cheaper. For businesses in the East Midlands, this could mean potential savings in the region’s established manufacturing sectors, including machinery, equipment and automotive components. India’s trade weighted average tariff will drop from 15% to 3% which means companies in the East Midlands selling products such as luxury knitwear to India will find it easier to sell to the Indian market. Aligned with the UK’s recent Industrial and Trade Strategies, the Government says the deal will support the sectors which drive the most growth for the economy – such as precision engineering and high-value manufacturing in the East Midlands – will offer significant opportunities for rail manufacturing – for which the East Midlands is globally recognised – and unlock opportunities for transport experts in the region. Established in 1784 in Lea Mills, Derbyshire, John Smedley Ltd is a manufacturer and retailer of luxury knitwear who will benefit from liberalised tariffs on imports of Indian textiles. Bill Leach, global sales director, John Smedley Ltd, said: “India is one of the fastest growing luxury markets in the world, and we are very excited about the UK- India Free Trade Agreement coming to fruition. “John Smedley knitwear is already sold in over 50 countries around the world, and now that the FTA has been signed, we shall very much look forward to ensuring that an ever-increasing number of discerning luxury consumers in India will enjoy greater access to The World’s Finest Knitwear.”

Pennine Healthcare has introduced a programme offering valuable employment opportunities to individuals nearing the end of their custodial sentences. By welcoming three ROTL (Release on Temporary Licence) workers into its cleanroom operations, the company is supporting community reintegration while strengthening its workforce. These placements provide the workers with essential skills development and help rebuild their confidence, contributing to their successful re-entry into society.

The success of this initiative has garnered attention from the Department of Health & Social Care, with a video produced highlighting the positive impact on both the workers and Pennine Healthcare. The initiative is also benefiting the company, with enhanced community engagement and a commitment to inclusive growth.

This move aligns with Pennine Healthcare’s broader strategy to foster social responsibility within the UK manufacturing sector. The company remains dedicated to creating diverse employment opportunities while contributing to the long-term sustainability of the medical device manufacturing industry.