Wakefield city centre came together for an evening of celebration on Thursday 10 September as businesses, organisations and individuals were recognised at the Wakefield BID Awards 2026.
Held at Wakefield Exchange (WX Wakefield), the event brought together many of the people whose hard work, ideas and commitment help make our city centre a vibrant and welcoming place to visit, work and do business.
The awards celebrated achievement across hospitality, retail, leisure, health and beauty, professional services and the voluntary sector. They also recognised an individual who has made an important contribution to the city centre, alongside the recipients of the People’s Choice Award and the prestigious Overall Business of the Year title.
“It was fantastic to bring so many of Wakefield’s brilliant businesses and individuals together for an evening of celebration.
“Our winners reflect the passion, resilience and creativity we see across the city centre every day. They each make a valuable contribution to Wakefield, and it was a real privilege to recognise their achievements alongside the wider business community.
“On behalf of Wakefield BID, I would like to congratulate every winner and thank everyone who helped make the evening so special.”
The Wakefield BID Awards 2026 winners
The winners announced during the evening were:
- Best Daytime Hospitality: Cafe 19
- Best Restaurant: Qubana
- Best Bar, Pub or Club: The Griffin
- Best Coffee Shop: Haus
- Best Experiential/Leisure Business: Escapable
- Best Health, Hair and Beauty Business: Scott Banks
- Best National Retailer: Boots Opticians
- Best Charity/Community Organisation: Second Chance Headway
- Best Independent Retailer: Wool ‘N’ Stuff
- Best Business Service Provider: Transform Images
- High Street Hero of the Year: Dave Williams
- People’s Choice Award: Silly Goose
- Overall Business of the Year: Escapable and Silly Goose
Celebrating every part of our city centre
Wakefield’s hospitality businesses featured strongly during the evening, reflecting the variety of places available for residents and visitors to eat, drink and spend time.
Cafe 19 took home the award for Best Daytime Hospitality, Qubana was named Best Restaurant, The Griffin received Best Bar, Pub or Club, and Haus was recognised as Best Coffee Shop.
These businesses are part of a hospitality sector that brings energy to Wakefield throughout the day and into the evening, helping make the city centre a place where people can meet, socialise and enjoy their time.
Escapable received the award for Best Experiential/Leisure Business, recognising the important role leisure attractions play in broadening the city-centre experience and giving people even more reasons to visit.
The award for Best Health, Hair and Beauty Business went to Scott Banks, while Transform Images was named Best Business Service Provider.
Retail also took its place in the spotlight. Boots Opticians received the Best National Retailer award, while Wool ‘N’ Stuff was named Best Independent Retailer.
Independent and national retailers both play an important role in Wakefield’s offer. Established national names provide familiarity and choice, while independent businesses bring individuality, specialist knowledge and local character to our streets.
Second Chance Headway received the award for Best Charity/Community Organisation, highlighting the valuable contribution made by organisations that support people and strengthen communities across Wakefield.
Special recognition
One of the evening’s most significant individual honours, High Street Hero of the Year, was presented to Dave Williams.
Businesses may form the backbone of a successful city centre, but it is the people behind them who bring it to life. The High Street Hero award provided an opportunity to recognise the dedication and positive impact of an individual within the Wakefield community.
The People’s Choice Award was presented to Silly Goose, before the business went on to share the evening’s highest honour with Escapable.
Escapable and Silly Goose were named joint winners of the Overall Business of the Year award, providing a fitting finale to a memorable evening of celebration.
Proud to support Wakefield
The Wakefield BID Awards are about more than presenting trophies and certificates. They provide an opportunity to recognise the collective contribution made by the businesses, organisations and people working across our city centre.
Every day, these businesses open their doors, welcome customers, create jobs, support their neighbours and give people new reasons to experience Wakefield. Their continued commitment helps build a city centre with its own strong identity and a community of which we can all be proud.
Wakefield BID would like to congratulate every winner and thank everyone who joined us at WX Wakefield for the awards evening.
It was a privilege to share the room with so many passionate and deserving members of our business community—and to celebrate the people helping Wakefield city centre move forward.
We encourage everyone to visit, discover and support this year’s award-winning businesses.
Congratulations to all the Wakefield BID Awards 2026 winners!
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