Laundry and Drycleaning Awards – The LADAs 2021 – are in the hands of the judges.

It’s now their job to pour over the entries and create a shortlist for each category. This is done in part individually, but also collaboratively where the judges challenge and cross examine each other on their recommendations and decisions. This is a lengthy process and one our judges take very seriously to ensure that all entries are judged fairly.

Organiser Mark Gleed, MEG Events said: “The number of entries has increased considerably over the years, just as the event itself has grown and become THE industry event for recognising and celebrating the best of the best in the industry.

“The calibre of entries is consistently very high now so the first stage of judging has to be ruthless and eliminate those who have not met the entry criteria – we have strict wordcounts in place for example, and entrants must provide suitable evidence for their claims.”

The judging panel for the LADAs is made up of true industry experts, who have all been part of the LADAs family for a number of years. Ken Cupitt (chairman of council and examination board for the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers and Master of the WCL) and John Shonfeld (a past Master of the Worshipful Company of Launderers) have both been with us since the very beginning – the event is now in its seventh year.

Simon Fordham (senior field manager for Morrisons Dry Cleaners) and Ron Davidson (laundry consultant, TSA and WCL) have joined us more recently, but still have several years of LADA judging experience under their belts.

Gleed adds: “Our sincere thanks to our judging panel of experts. We know it’s not an easy task and we truly appreciate the time and effort they take to ensure each and every entry is considered.

“We’re particularly looking forward to hearing their thoughts on the entries for our two new categories this year – the Laundry Manager of the Year and the Counter Customer Service Award 2021. Feedback from previous years was that people felt these key roles were missing the recognition they deserved, so we’re excited to be able to showcase properly for the first time who the true stars are here for others in the industry to follow.”

The shortlist of finalists will appear in the October issue of Laundry & Cleaning Today. Keep an eye on our social media too.

2021 judges, from the left: Ron, Ken, Simon and John