At A Glance:
This page outlines the national awards, regional shortlist placements, and community accolades earned by Chris Garland Training since 2021. Grounded in our "Contribution, not Compensation" philosophy and a commitment to radical transparency, the directory showcases prestigious milestones. These include the national FSB Self-Employed/Freelancer of the Year Award, the Altrincham Chamber Sustainability Champion Award, and the Knutsford Schools Youth Council Sustainability Award. These achievements validate our position as a leading ethical provider delivering premium first aid, fire safety, and compliance training that actively funds vital environmental and lifesaving charities.
Awards and Recognition for Honest Stewardship
Awards play a vital role in how we measure our success at Chris Garland Training. We feel proud of our physical trophies. However, we believe that our students are the true stars of the show. Without your support, we could not provide life-saving training. Similarly, we could not fund the essential environmental projects listed on our Impact page.
When you choose to train with us, you directly help to plant thousands of trees. In addition, your bookings remove tonnes of plastic from the ocean. Furthermore, you provide vital funding for the North West Air Ambulance Charity. Consequently, every award we receive represents a shared victory for our community and the planet.
Why We Enter Business Awards
We view awards as a form of external validation for our “Contribution, not Compensation” philosophy. In the interest of Radical Transparency, we welcome the scrutiny of industry experts and judging panels. Indeed, this rigorous process ensures that our ethical standards remain as high as our training standards.
Our journey into business competitions began in 2021. Although we did not win our first entry, we received invaluable feedback from the panel. Since then, numerous anonymous nominations and wins have highlighted our commitment to excellence.
Below, you will find a summary of the awards, finalist placements, and nominations we have achieved over the last few years:
Altrincham Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2025: Business of the Year & Sustainability Awards
The Altrincham Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2025 shortlisted us for two prestigious categories: Business of the Year and the Sustainability Award.
To begin, we consider this double shortlisting an incredible achievement. This recognition rewards the hard work and dedication of our team. Specifically, we won the Sustainability Award in 2023. Therefore, this latest shortlisting highlights our continued commitment to excellence and sustainability. To learn more about our ongoing efforts, please visit our dedicated Impact page.
Scale-Up Awards 2024: ESG and Social Impact Award
The Scale-Up Awards celebrate prominent UK scale-up companies across fourteen different categories. Business Leader hosts these prestigious awards.
Specifically, the ESG and Social Impact Award recognises companies with clear environmental, social, and corporate governance strategies. Judges seek businesses that use their ESG strategies to drive commercial growth.
This popular category received over 300 entries. Therefore, reaching the final group of five businesses is a massive achievement. We feel immensely proud of this result and thank everyone who voted for us.
Altrincham & Sale Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2024: Business Of The Year
The Altrincham & Sale Chamber of Commerce shortlisted us as finalists for Business of the Year. This nomination represents a massive milestone for us. Indeed, we feel absolutely thrilled with this result. We warmly thank everyone who nominated our team.
Institute for Directors Awards 2024: Director of the Year (Sustainability)
Although we did not win this award, we felt incredibly proud of the nomination. Ultimately, the positive industry recognition more than made up for not winning.
High Sheriff Awards for Cheshire 2024: Environmental and Innovation Award
At the end of 2023, the High Sheriff of Cheshire invited us to enter the Environmental and Innovation Award category.
Although we did not win, we felt deeply honoured by the invitation. This recognition gave our entire team a fantastic boost.
Altrincham & Sale Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2023: Sustainability Champion Award
The Altrincham & Sale Chamber of Commerce nominated us for the Sustainability Champion Award in 2023.
Despite a highly competitive field, we won the main prize. We now proudly display our bamboo trophy on our expanding awards shelf.
North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2023: Carbon Reduction Award
In 2023, the North Cheshire Chamber of Commerce nominated Chris Garland Training in three distinct categories.
- Carbon Reduction Award (We won the Silver Award!)
- Health & Wellbeing Award (We reached the shortlist)
- Small Business of the Year (We received a nomination)
Reaching the shortlist for two of these categories was an incredible achievement. Furthermore, winning the Silver Award for Carbon Reduction was a major victory.
Federation of Small Businesses Celebrating Small Business Awards 2023 (National Finals): Self-Employed/Freelancer of the Year
Chris felt absolutely amazed when he won this national title.
Because he did not expect to win, Chris had no speech prepared. Consequently, he felt quite flummoxed when Clare Balding asked: “So why do you deserve to win this award?”
The crowd laughed when presenter JJ Chalmers quickly added: “Yeah, justify yourself!”
Ultimately, winning this national award gave us massive momentum for the future.
Federation of Small Businesses Celebrating Small Business Awards 2023 (NW Region): Self-Employed/Freelancer of the Year
We entered the FSB Celebrating Small Business Awards for the first time in 2023. Specifically, we submitted entries for both the Sustainability and Self-Employed categories.
Although we missed the shortlist for sustainability, Chris won the NW Region Self-Employed/Freelancer of the Year title. He was working on the day of the ceremony. However, the trophy arrived safely at our offices a few days later.
Altrincham & Sale Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2022
We joined the Altrincham & Sale Chamber of Commerce in 2022. Soon after, we received nominations in three distinct categories:
- Education and Training
- Professional Services
- Sustainability Champion
Following these nominations, the public cast hundreds of votes in our favour. As a result, we reached the shortlist in all three categories.
Unfortunately, we did not win the final trophies. However, reaching the shortlist for all three categories felt like a major victory.
Smart Social Awards 2022
Launched in May 2012, the Twitter-based #SmartSocial Award helps micro-businesses and SMEs grow.
Each Sunday, businesses share how they use social media platforms creatively. The organizers then whittle down the entries to select the most innovative strategies. Ultimately, winners receive the recognised #SmartSocial badge.
#SBS Small Business Sunday by Theo Paphitis (June 2022)
#SBS (Small Business Sunday) is a leading UK small business network with over 3,750 active members.
Each week, retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis welcomes six small businesses that describe their work on social media.
Over the Queen’s Golden Jubilee weekend, Theo selected Chris Garland Training as a weekly winner. Consequently, we attended the national winners’ event in February 2023 to collect our certificate from Theo in person.
Barclays Entrepreneur Awards 2022
Barclays celebrate entrepreneurs for their exceptional innovation. Specifically, they recognise those creating the social change and growth that drives the UK forward.
In 2022, we received a nomination in the sustainability category. Although we did not reach the shortlist, the application process opened up several business growth opportunities.
#KingOf Safety Training (May 2022)
Aqua Design Group launched the ‘Royal Connection’ competitions during the 2012 Diamond Jubilee.
Originally, the organisers launched the weekly #QueenOf award to celebrate women in business. Later, they expanded the categories. These now include #KingOf to celebrate male entrepreneurs and #MonarchOf for the LGBTQI+ business community.
Knutsford Schools Youth Council Sustainability Award 2022
In April 2022, we entered the Knutsford Schools Youth Committee Award for Sustainability. Specifically, the committee comprises local students in years 7 to 11 from seven local schools.
Of all our trophies, we feel most proud of this one. Specifically, the local children themselves voted us as the outright winners.
The organisers present this prize alongside the Knutsford Town Council Awards.
UK Customer Choice Awards 2021
In 2021, excellent feedback from our clients encouraged us to enter our first awards competition. Although we did not secure a spot on the final shortlist, we did not lose heart. Instead, we focused on what we do best: delivering life-saving training to our community.