Yorkshire’s Established Businesses are vital to the UK economy and it’s time they got the recognition they deserve: Andy Castle, Allica Bank

It’s on workshop floors, shop fronts, in warehouses and high-street businesses that quietly keep our communities running every day.

These established businesses - that’s those with between 5 and 250 employees - generate around a third of the UK’s GDP and a third of its jobs.

Their impact is felt in every part of the country, including here in Yorkshire, which is home to more than 44,400 established businesses playing a crucial role in our regional economy.

But their importance goes far beyond the numbers. To me, these established businesses represent the boldest and best of what Yorkshire has to offer.

They are the companies that have grown through resilience, commitment and hard work, building teams, skills and relationships along the way.

As vital local employers and service providers - looking after our loved ones, delivering our parcels, manufacturing some of the UK’s leading technology and building our infrastructure - established businesses sit right at the heart of Yorkshire’s community.

While some of these moments might seem ordinary, the businesses themselves are anything but, and their hard work deserves to be recognised and celebrated.

That’s why Allica Bank have launched Business is Beautiful here in Yorkshire, supported by The Yorkshire Post.

We’re inviting businesses across the region to share a behind-the-scenes photograph that captures what they find meaningful, distinctive or inspiring about their company.

The winner will receive a professional photoshoot of their business by local photographer and competition judge Jack Gray, and the winning photo will be published in the Yorkshire Post.

From workshops and warehouses to shop floors and teams behind the scenes, Yorkshire Business is Beautiful is all about celebrating and shining a spotlight on the often unseen reality of running a business in Yorkshire, helping us see them from a new perspective.

But it’s about more than just recognition, it’s also about acknowledging that while established businesses are fundamental to the UK economy, the systems designed to support them haven’t kept pace with their needs, leaving many without the support they require to take their next step.

These established businesses are ambitious and constantly looking for ways to grow, invest and innovate. Yet too often they find themselves underserved.

In fact, recent research by my own team at Allica Bank identified a £65 billion SME lending gap that has emerged over the past 25 years across the UK.

In Yorkshire alone, the lending gap is sucking around £4.4 billion of productive credit out of the regional economy, meaning missed opportunities for businesses that are willing and ready to invest in their communities and their future.

We’re trying to change that, giving established businesses the banking they need to grow, invest and boost the Yorkshire economy.

We chose to start the campaign in Yorkshire because it has such a strong community of local businesses that are world-leading in what they do. From manufacturing to logistics, retail and hospitality, they are the pride of Yorkshire, and we want to help share some of their stories and shine a spotlight on what it’s really like behind the scenes.

HOW TO ENTER

Entries to Yorkshire Business is Beautiful are now open to Yorkshire-based established businesses.

To enter, post your photograph on social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X) using the hashtag #YorkshireBusinessIsBeautiful and tagging Allica Bank and The Yorkshire Post by May 2, 2026.

Good luck!

Terms and Conditions apply - find them at: www.allica.bank/business-is-beautiful-terms-and-conditions

LINKS:

Web: www.allica.bank

Facebook: www.facebook.com/allicabank

X: @AllicaBank

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/allicabank