Lancashire family business celebrates double recognition at UK Small Business Awards
When two generations of the Ward family gathered at the 2025 UK Small Business Awards, they weren’t just representing decades of business acumen—they were embodying a vision of community-building that has transformed how people live and thrive across Lancashire. The night delivered vindication in duplicate: Residential Parks Limited claimed fifth place in the fiercely contested Best Family Business category, while the group’s Acresfield Health Club & Spa powered into sixth position for Best Gym. For a family enterprise competing on a national stage against Britain’s most ambitious small businesses, the twin achievements signal something profound—a model of business that refuses to separate profit from purpose. Building Communities, not just properties. The Ward family story isn’t about bricks and mortar, it’s about reimagining what home means for people seeking quality, connection and independence in their later years.
Residential Parks Limited oversees a collection of distinguished park home communities scattered across Lancashire’s most enviable landscapes— Acresfield, Wyre Vale, Lodge and Gawthorpe Edge Parks. Each development represents something beyond residential property: they’re carefully orchestrated ecosystems where design meets accessibility, where neighbours become friends, and where the traditional park home sector’s limitations dissolve into something genuinely aspirational. These aren’t retirement villages by another name. They’re vibrant, design-conscious communities that have consistently garnered industry recognition for raising the bar on what residential park living can achieve. Where Wellness Meets Community a stone’s throw from these communities sits Acresfield Health Club & Spa—the physical manifestation of the Ward family’s belief that wellbeing shouldn’t be exclusive or intimidating. The facility reads like a wish-list of modern wellness amenities: cutting-edge Technogym equipment that would satisfy serious athletes, a heated pool for aquatic therapy and leisure, treatment rooms offering everything from sports massage to aesthetic therapies, and a bistro serving nutrition-conscious food that doesn’t sacrifice flavour. Add a full roster of fitness classes, a professional hair studio, and an operational philosophy centred on sustainability, and you’ve got something rare—a health club that feels inclusive rather than exclusive. Crucially, it’s open to both park residents and the wider Lancashire public, creating genuine cross-community connections rather than gated wellness. A Legacy of Evolution For the Wards, these accolades carry weight that transcends trophy shelves. “These places are more than businesses—they are communities where people live well and enjoy life,” Alex Ward, now steering the ship as third generation leadership, explained with unmistakable pride. “To be acknowledged on this national stage affirms the work we do every day.” His words reveal something essential about family-run enterprises that survive generational handovers: the ability to honour founding principles while refusing to fossilise. Michael Ward, representing the second generation, reflected on watching the family vision mature from local operation to nationally-recognised exemplar: “Seeing our teams and residents benefit from the environments we’ve created is a source of immense pride. This recognition honours our commitment to innovation, sustainability and service to the community.”
Beyond the Awards
The UK Small Business Awards recognition adds fresh chapters to an already impressive story. Residential Parks has accumulated multiple accolades over the years for service excellence and innovation in resident-focused development—evidence that these latest awards aren’t flukes but confirmations of sustained excellence. What makes the Ward family’s approach particularly compelling in 2025 is its counter-cultural defiance of corporate consolidation. While private equity swallows independent operators across the leisure and residential sectors, the Wards have grown by staying true to family ownership, local knowledge, and genuine stakeholder investment. Together, Residential Parks Limited and Acresfield Health Club & Spa represent something increasingly precious: businesses where multi-generational wisdom meets modern innovation, where community needs genuinely shape commercial decisions, and where success is measured in resident satisfaction as much as financial returns. In an era of corporate homogenization, that’s not just award-worthy—it’s essential.an achieve.
Where Wellness Meets Community
A stone’s throw from these communities sits Acresfield Health Club & Spa—the physical manifestation of the Ward family’s belief that wellbeing shouldn’t be exclusive or intimidating.
The facility reads like a wish-list of modern wellness amenities: cutting-edge Technogym equipment that would satisfy serious athletes, a heated pool for aquatic therapy and leisure, treatment rooms offering everything from sports massage to aesthetic therapies, and a bistro serving nutrition-conscious food that doesn’t sacrifice flavour. Add a full roster of fitness classes, a professional hair studio, and an operational philosophy centred on sustainability, and you’ve got something rare—a health club that feels inclusive rather than exclusive.
Crucially, it’s open to both park residents and the wider Lancashire public, creating genuine cross-community connections rather than gated wellness.
A Legacy of Evolution
For the Wards, these accolades carry weight that transcends trophy shelves.
“These places are more than businesses—they are communities where people live well and enjoy life,” Alex Ward, now steering the ship as third-generation leadership, explained with unmistakable pride. “To be acknowledged on this national stage affirms the work we do every day.”
His words reveal something essential about family-run enterprises that survive generational handovers: the ability to honour founding principles while refusing to fossilise.
Michael Ward, representing the second generation, reflected on watching the family vision mature from local operation to nationally-recognised exemplar: “Seeing our teams and residents benefit from the environments we’ve created is a source of immense pride. This recognition honours not just our business growth, but our commitment to innovation, sustainability and service to the community.”
When three generations of the Ward family gathered at the 2025 UK Small Business Awards, they weren’t just representing decades of business acumen—they were embodying a vision of community-building that has transformed how people live and thrive across Lancashire.
The night delivered vindication in duplicate: Residential Parks Limited claimed fifth place in the fiercely contested Best Family Business category, while the group’s Acresfield Health Club & Spa powered into sixth position for Best Gym. For a family enterprise competing on a national stage against Britain’s most ambitious small businesses, the twin achievements signal something profound—a model of business that refuses to separate profit from purpose.
Building Communities, Not Just Properties
The Ward family story isn’t about bricks and mortar. It’s about reimagining what home means for people seeking quality, connection and independence in their later years.
Residential Parks Limited oversees a collection of distinguished park home communities scattered across Lancashire’s most enviable landscapes—Acresfield Park, Wyre Vale, Lodge Park and Gawthorpe Edge. Each development represents something beyond residential property: they’re carefully orchestrated ecosystems where design meets accessibility, where neighbours become friends, and where the traditional park home sector’s limitations dissolve into something genuinely aspirational.
These aren’t retirement villages by another name. They’re vibrant, design-conscious communities that have consistently garnered industry recognition for raising the bar on what residential park living can achieve.
Extract from the Lancashire Evening Post
