Judges

The selection process for the awards involves an impartial panel of industry experts who generously volunteer their time to evaluate submissions. These individuals are chosen for their expertise and experience. Judges eview entries, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation. In cases where judges have conflicts of interest within specific categories, they abstain from participating in the assessment of those particular entries. Upon the submission deadline, judges receive all entries in a uniform format, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations. Each entry is then scored by the judges based on the defined criteria for each category. Judges meet to discuss their assessments and collectively reach a final decision on a single day, solely based on the content provided in the written entries.

Matthew Stamford

Director - Verity Frearson

Responsible for overseeing the day to day running of the agency and carrying out valuations on a wide selection of properties within North Yorkshire. The driving force behind the business, Matthew’s absolute passion for property, creative thinking and straight-talking approach are one of the reasons that Verity Frearson are so successful. He started out in the estate agency business at the age of 18 (that’s a LOT of experience!) and hasn’t looked back! Married to Nicola, they live in Harrogate with their son Henry and 2 dogs Barney & Pickles. He says that his 2 obsessions in life begin with H – Henry & Houses!

Claire Strachan

PR consultant - Claire & Katy PR

Claire Strachan is a PR consultant who writes the ‘In the company of ‘ page in the Harrogate Advertiser group. She ran the PR for the Harrogate Scrubbers who provided Harrogate Hospital with 3k scrubs in the pandemic and appeared on BBC Dragons’ Den representing a Ukrainian refugee earlier this year.

Phill Holdsworth

President - Chamber of Commerce

Phill Holdsworth, President of Harrogate Chamber of Commerce, is a respected financial wellbeing specialist and innovation consultant. Based in Harrogate, he leads AurumGold, supports local businesses, and monitors government-funded innovation projects. Phill champions community prosperity and hosts the Wisdom Chat podcast on money, wellbeing, and purposeful living.

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