MORE than 1,800 nominations were received in less than one month for the inaugural Raring2go! Bury local family-friendly awards, heralding it a great success.

Championing the awards is Bury mum Jayne Deakin, editor of Raring2go! which delivers family-friendly information through its 18,000 distribution quarterly magazine.

She said: "We’re so lucky to have such a great mix of fabulous businesses local to us and I thought it was about time we did something to recognise that.

"These awards have given families the opportunity to nominate their favourites, and they have really risen to the challenge. We have literally been overwhelmed by the amazing response”.

Nominations came flooding in and allowed Raring2go! Bury to shortlist the top three businesses in each category and then formal voting commenced to crown local champions.

A total of 2,161 votes were then cast.

Staff at Boomerang Play Centre, designed for disabled youngsters, had double reason to celebrate after picking up two of the awards.

The centre, in Woodhill Street, was named Best Soft Play Venue and Best Party Venue.

The facility came close to shutting down earlier this year due to a lack of funds, but was saved, thanks to a last-minute donation from the Trewan Sands Children's Trust.

Owner and founder Emma Birkett said: "These awards are extra special for us because they are all voted for by members of the public. We are just a small charity really, and were competing against some mainstream places, so it's great to know that our customers took the time to vote for us.

"What makes Boomerang stand out is that we are accessible to all children, and aren't restricted to either disabled or able-bodied kids. To be recognised like this is a real honour and shows that people value the work we do to make everyone feel accepted."

The winners were:

Best Baby/Toddler Class – Puddle Ducks

Best School-Age Club/Class – Freak-Dance

Best School Holiday Activity – Shooting Stars

Best Family Place to Eat – Waterfold Farm

Best Party Entertainer – Go Wild

Best Party Place - Boomerang

Best Soft Play – Boomerang

Best Family Day Out – Winter Wonderland, EventCity

In addition to the individual awards, the overall winner for receiving the most votes went to Jo Gribben, from Puddle Ducks East Lancs.