Prima Cura Training Takes 2nd Place in Two Categories at the Female Business Awards 2026
Written by Stephanie Austin, Owner & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | Last reviewed: October 2026 | Next review: October 2027
At the Female Business Awards gala last Thursday, the category sponsor stood up and read out the name of every business in the category. Then they turned to the runner-up, talking through what had stood out to the judges and what that business had achieved to get there.
That business was Prima Cura.
I went up to the podium to collect the 2nd place prize, and then they announced the winner. The two of us headed off to have our photos taken together. And I got to do it twice.
Prima Cura Training finished 2nd in two categories at the Female Business Awards 2026:
2nd out of 16 finalists in Coach, Mentor or Trainer, and 2nd out of 8 finalists in Services to the Community. For a training company that started in 2015 as just me and a lot of nerve, I’m chuffed to bits.
How did Prima Cura do at the Female Business Awards 2026?
- Coach, Mentor or Trainer: Runner-Up, 2nd of 16 finalists
- Services to the Community: Runner-Up, 2nd of 8 finalists
The Female Business Awards celebrate female-led small businesses from across the UK and are now in their fifth year. The 2026 gala was held on Thursday 15 October at the Victoria & Albert Marriott Hotel in Manchester, run by co-founders Hazel Woodward and Janine Friston and headline sponsored by EweMove Sales & Lettings and Eximius One.
Being named a finalist back in the summer already felt like a big moment, and I wrote about waking up to that email. Coming away with two runner-up places in two very different categories is something else.
Why was Prima Cura recognised in Coach, Mentor or Trainer?
The judges picked out two things: how I rebuilt Prima Cura after a catastrophic event at the start of 2025, and the way I deliver training.
Rebuilding from the start of 2025. At the beginning of 2025, something happened that could easily have finished Prima Cura off. I won’t go into the details here, but it meant rebuilding large parts of the business more or less from the ground up, while still turning up for every course that was already booked. Getting from there to 2nd out of 16 in a national award, less than two years later, is the part of this result that means the most to me.
Training that’s hands-on, practical and fun. People learn CPR by doing CPR, not by watching slides about it. My courses are built around practice: kneeling on the floor, getting hands on the manikin, working through scenarios until the steps come without thinking. And if a room of care staff or builders is laughing at some point during a first aid course, that isn’t a distraction from the learning. It’s usually the reason it sticks.
I’ve spent more than 25 years in health and social care and over 15 years as a trainer, and the thing I care about most hasn’t changed: people should walk out of a course able to use what they’ve learned, not just holding a certificate.
“Training that keeps people safe rarely gets a spotlight, so this feels like real recognition after eleven years of it. Training someone to save a life is one of the most important things you can teach, and I started Prima Cura wanting people to walk out able to use what they’d learned, not just tick a box. Coming 2nd in two categories means a huge amount, to me and to every business and individual who has invested in first aid training.”
Why did Prima Cura place in Services to the Community?
Prima Cura was recognised in Services to the Community mainly for its free Basic Life Support courses for Manchester residents, which I started running in response to rising levels of knife crime in the area.
When someone is seriously hurt, the people standing nearest are the first ones who can help, often minutes before an ambulance arrives. I wanted more people in Manchester to know what to do in those minutes, and I didn’t think that should depend on whether their employer happened to book a course. So the sessions are free, open to local residents, and practical from start to finish.
Basic Life Support covers the early steps in what the Resuscitation Council UK calls the chain of survival: recognising that someone is in trouble, calling for help, starting CPR and using a defibrillator. None of it needs specialist kit or a medical background. It just needs someone who has practised it and is willing to step in.
It sits alongside the NHS-funded training we deliver on behalf of SILC (Surrey Independent Living Charity), free to attend, for personal assistants who support people with Personal Health Budgets and Direct Payments. I used to sit on the Skills for Care PHB Steering Committee, so that work is close to my heart too.
Placing 2nd out of 8 for that work tells me the judges understood why it matters.
Thank you
Congratulations to both category winners and to every finalist on the night. Thank you to Hazel, Janine and the judges, and to every client and learner who has trusted Prima Cura with their training over the last eleven years. This one is yours as well.
If your team is due a First Aid, Health and Safety or Social Care refresher, or you run a community group that could do with some first aid basics, get in touch. Give us a call on 0333 999 8783 or email info@primacuratraining.co.uk.
This post reflects personal experience and opinion, and is shared for general interest rather than as professional or business advice.
