Word is now spreading fast around the North East that the 2027 BUSINESSiQ awards will take place at Raby Castle on Thursday, April 29, with the historic venue providing a spectacular backdrop for our fifth event, with its 14th-century castle, 200-acre deer park and newly remodelled Walled Gardens.
There will be food and entertainment in and around The Dutch Barn before and after the awards, which will be held in The Riding School—an 18th-century architectural gem.
Sophie Brown, sales and events manager at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens told us: “The BUSINESSiQ Awards are a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the achievements of businesses from across the region and everyone’s hard work to support and champion the North East. To be the location for the awards next year is going to be a momentous occasion for Raby and we’re looking forward to welcoming all the nominees.
- More details will follow in the coming weeks at www.businessiqawards.co.uk, where you can already tell us about a business that has helped make the region a success.
- We are ready to receive your nominations. Are you ready for a night at the castle? Nominations are now open - just CLICK HERE and give us a few details.
“We’ve seen an incredible amount of interest in our corporate events and have welcomed a fantastic array of brands, companies and organisations over the last few years. With our flexible heritage spaces that can be tailored to different sizes and requirements, the relaxed and beautiful setting in the castle grounds and the catering options we offer, incorporating Estate produce wherever possible, we’re able to provide a unique blend of history, charm, and modern amenities.”
The estate’s visitor numbers have increased year on year and its retail revenue has grown 29% since opening in 2024 as a stylish shopping destination.
Following The Rising - the ambitious development supporting the estate’s ambition to share its rich and varied history with a wider audience - the team has continued to expand areas within the castle grounds including an extension of The Plotters’ Forest woodland adventure playground to create The Hidden Forest. They are also transforming an additional building, Raff Yard House, into a further retail opportunity following the popularity of The Coach House.
“Raby’s what’s on calendar is continuously growing and diversifying with different tours, activities and seasonal installations for a variety of interests,” said Sophie.
“We opened the castle doors at Christmas last year for the first time in five decades for the popular Raby Castle at Christmas experience, which will be returning this November featuring additional rooms, and we also hosted the beautiful floral installation ‘Castle in Bloom’ this summer.
“We have something unique to offer everyone, whether you’re a family visiting to experience the new trails in The Plotters’ Forest, enjoying a guided tour round Raby Castle with our archives team or taking part in one of our garden tours or themed floristry workshops. We also offer wellbeing events, cooking masterclasses, estate tours, stargazing experiences, crafting workshops and so much more.”As our plans for the awards progress, some of the North East’s most influential businesses have stepped up to sponsor the 12 categories. With many months still to go, we are already down to the last few remaining slots.
One of the first to join us was Lumo Trains, sponsors of our Diversity and Inclusion Award. Richard Salkeld, Director of Communications and Partnerships, told us: “Lumo is proudly rooted in the North East, so supporting the BUSINESSiQ Awards is a natural fit for us. We want to celebrate the businesses, organisations and people who are making our region a better place to live, work and visit.
“The Diversity and Inclusion Award is particularly important because those values sit at the heart of what Lumo is about. Rail should be for everyone, and we want our services, our workforce and the partnerships we build to reflect the communities we serve. That means looking beyond simply running trains.
“Whether it is our work with OUT North East and Newcastle Frontrunners, our partnership with Daft as a Brush, supporting the Newcastle Eagles, or working with North East Museums, we want to use Lumo as a platform to bring people together and make a positive difference. Celebrating organisations which share that commitment to inclusion is something we are incredibly proud to support.
Richard said that although the North East has an enormous amount to be proud of, sometimes we could be better at shouting about it.
He said: “Lumo was born in the North East and the region remains central to who we are. We see first-hand the brilliant work being done by businesses, charities, community groups and individuals across the region, and awards like these give them the recognition they deserve.
“For us, partnership is particularly important. We don't want Lumo simply to be a train that passes through a community; we want to be part of that community. That is why we invest time, resources and energy into local relationships and why we are always looking for new organisations to work with. When our partners succeed, the region succeeds and we want to celebrate that and the real sense of ambition across the North East.
“We have fantastic businesses, world-class universities, a growing visitor economy and some brilliant cultural, sporting and community organisations.
“Good connectivity has an important role to play in supporting that. Lumo connects the North East directly with Edinburgh and London, helping people access jobs, education, leisure and opportunities while making it easier for visitors and investment to come into our region.
“But economic success also needs to be inclusive. Growth means more when communities across the region can benefit from it. That is why our local partnerships matter so much to us – they allow us to complement the connectivity we provide with practical support for organisations already doing fantastic work on the ground.”
After being named as the best operator for value, Richard says the company remains incredibly ambitious about what comes next.
“Alongside growing our rail services, we want to keep growing our impact in the communities we serve. Our partnerships across the North East have become a fundamental part of the Lumo story, and we are incredibly proud of the relationships we have built with charities, sporting organisations, cultural institutions and community groups.
“We also have significant investment going into the future of the business, including new trains being built right here in the North East. For us, that creates a really exciting circle: a North East-based operator connecting the region with the rest of the country, supporting North East jobs and supply chains, and then using our platform to support brilliant organisations within our communities.
“There is plenty more to come, but as Lumo grows, we want to make sure our contribution to the North East grows with it.”