A couple from Altrincham have just been crowned Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year for their vegan chocolate brand.
The founders of the vegan chocolate brand, LoveRaw, have also been named Family Business Entrepreneurs of the Year, as well as the coveted Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year – both for the North West region – at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2020.
They are now in the running to be named overall Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year 2020 at the National Finals.
With an amazing success trajectory, co-founders – husband and wife team Rimi and Manav Thapar – started LoveRaw in 2013 with a budget of just £600.
They adopted the mantra “chocolate first, vegan second”.
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Since then, the couple’s transparent approach has allowed the business to become an established provider of all-vegan, 100% natural chocolate with no palm oil, no dairy and “no compromise”.
The annual Great British Entrepreneur Awards – now in its eighth year of running – aims to celebrate the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs across the UK and recognises the hard work, determination, creativity and resilience required to rise above the rest.
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With the current restrictions in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic preventing the regional finals taking place at a live event, Rimi and Manav won the award during a virtual ceremony.
They were joined by all other regional finalists online.
Despite complications with the global pandemic, LoveRaw launched its first vegan milk chocolate bar range back in April – alongside the unveiling of a major re-brand – and their most recent product is the first to launch exclusively online.
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The delicious Cre&m Wafer Bar is a world first and it was created right here in Greater Manchester.
LoveRaw
Speaking on the win, Rimi Thapar – CEO of LoveRaw – said: “We are beyond thrilled to have won not only one but two GBEA awards. We didn’t think we were in with a chance, so we watched the ceremony in our pyjamas, eating vegan yoghurt out of the tub.
“For the past seven years, we have been hamsters in a wheel going round and round, unable to take a step back and acknowledge our achievements. We couldn’t be prouder that our hard work has been recognised and we are ecstatic to have been selected as the winning entrepreneurs for the North West.
“Congratulations to all the winners – we look forward to the finals!
Manav Thapar – Managing Director at LoveRaw – added: “I cannot believe we won.
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“Rimi and I consider our dedicated team to be part of our family, not just our family business. From all of us at LoveRaw HQ, we’d like to thank our suppliers and advisors for allowing us to create something special. We cannot wait to see what the coming months bring.
“2021 is going to be an exciting year for us as a company – keep your eyes peeled.”
From everyone here at The Manc, a massive congratulations goes out to Rimi and Manav – you’re flying the flag for Manchester.
You can find more information about LoveRaw via the website here.
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Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Sir Patrick Stewart’s farewell performance will be in Avengers: Doomsday, which is being released in UK cinemas on 18 December 2026
Featured Image – Gage Skidmore (via Flickr)
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Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets this Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks season.
Bonfire Night may be loved by us humans for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that come along with it… but sadly, the November holiday isn’t quite so fun for our four-legged friends.
Loud bangs, flashing lights, and unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives are just some of the reasons why fireworks are frightening to pets.
Not only that, but with multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays across this time of year, pets are rarely able to pinpoint when and where the booming explosions are coming from, therefore creating even more anxiety around this time of year.
Classic FM will play calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks / Credit: DESIGNECOLOGIST (via Unsplash)
Which is why, for the ninth year running now, Classic FM is once again teaming up with the RSPCA for two Pet Classics programmes packed with ‘the most soothing and comforting classical music’.
The music has been handpicked to help calm and settle any anxious pets.
A survey by the RSPCA revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of animal owners reported their pet was distressed during fireworks season, and that playing relaxing music was the most common way (36%) to help calm or prepare their animal.
Presenters Dan Walker, Aled Jones, and Dawn O’Porter will each host a night of the specially created programme to help keep the nation’s pets calm through the whizzes and bangs.
Dan will present the first programme on Bonfire Night itself (Thursday 5 November), and then as celebrations continue throughout the weekend, Aled will be on hand to bring some peace to Friday 6 November, and Dawn picks up the baton on Saturday 7 November.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd October 2020 
