Royal visit for Lancashire firm

HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO paid a special visit to Lancashire-based firm GaraDry on Friday (November 24 2023) for a special tour of the company and to present staff with an award from His Majesty the King.

The King’s Award for Enterprise celebrates outstanding achievements by UK businesses and is internationally recognised. Lancashire-based GaraDry won the King’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.

Ashley Smith, 43, who founded the company in 2009, attended Buckingham Palace during the summer to celebrate his company’s achievement.

The actual award was presented by HRH The Duke of Gloucester on Friday.

Ashley Smith, managing director of GaraDry, added:

“We were thrilled to receive the visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester who presented our team with this award which will now take pride of place in our reception. We are all delighted and humbled for our company, which started off life in a garden shed, to receive this accolade.

“It encourages us even further to continue designing innovative products for people all over the world. This has been a great year for GaraDry and this is the perfect springboard for us as we work on our growth plans for 2024.”

Ashley Dalton MP for West Lancashire said:

“It is good to see innovative companies like GaraDry getting recognised in this way and I’m sure this will inspire them to grow even further and continue to do great things on the international stage.”

Councillor Maureen Nixon, Mayor of West Lancashire said:

“I am proud and honoured to help celebrate the success of GaraDry with the staff and His Royal Highness. It’s an incredible achievement for this local company which continues to grow, develop new products and is a fantastic success story.”

Jacqui Sinnott-Lacey, Chief Operating Officer, West Lancashire Borough Council, said:

“It is an honour to be here today to meet the team behind such an inspirational organisation. GaraDry is a fantastic example of a business based in our region that is expanding and reaching new territories all over the world.”