Astronaut and author Tim Peake will be the key-note speaker at The Yorkshires. Business Awards 2022 in Leeds next month.

The event, organised by Yorkshire Children’s Charity, is taking place at The Queens Hotel on December 9.

As well as reflecting on his extraordinary career, Mr Peake will also be delivering a workshop to pupils from St Peter’s CofE Primary School in Leeds city centre ahead of the event. 

Composed of four main categories, The Yorkshires. Business Awards will award; Large Corporate of the Year, Mid-Market Corporate of the Year, Business Leader of the Year and Board of the Year, with shortlisted Yorkshire companies including Betty’s, BJSS, Team 17, MKM, BigChange, Astonish Cleaning Products and Aire Logic. 

In addition, the winner of the Yorkshires. Young Entrepreneur Challenge will be announced, which has seen year nine and ten school pupils from some of the most economically challenged areas in Leeds, work in teams to present a business idea and turn £500 seed money into as much profit as possible.

The money raised from the schools’ challenge will be used to purchase specialist equipment for young people living with disabilities and give pupils taking part the chance to see how their actions and hard work can make a tangible difference to the lives of others. 

Yorkshire Children’s Charity launched at the start of 2022 with the aim of doing things differently and work tirelessly to support the 92,000 children in Yorkshire with disabilities, and approximately 352,000 of the region’s children who are currently living in poverty and has already raised just shy of £2m in its first eleven months. 

The award ceremony and lunch will provide attendees the chance to celebrate the many achievements and undisputed excellence of the Yorkshire business sector, whilst networking with over 400 friends and colleagues and raising significant funds for children living at a disadvantage across the region. 

Charlotte Farrington, CEO at Yorkshire Children’s Charity, said: ‘We are delighted to be holding the first of our annual The Yorkshires. Business Awards and are especially looking forward to hearing the key-note speech from Tim Peake, which I am sure will be an incredibly inspiring listen. 

“This event will allow us to celebrate the success of both the region’s leading business minds, alongside the school children who have worked so hard to raise funds for children with disabilities across Yorkshire. Raising money to support these children is always at the forefront of any event we plan, and we never lose sight of the responsibility we are entrusted with – to raise significant funds for the children and young people who depend on us”.