The University of Lancashire is celebrating winning three categories at the 12th Educate North Awards 2026.
The University of Lancashire Business School’s innovative approach to empowering future leaders to serve their local communities through responsible management education, impactful business engagement, and applied research led to it being crowned Business School of the Year.
More than 300 small to medium sized enterprises (SME) have benefited from the work of the University of Lancashire Business School in the last year. The Business School has adopted a ‘front door to business’ model and its Dean, Professor Steven Rhoden, says that independent evaluation shows that the work of the Business School has led to approximately 400 jobs created or safeguarded and £15m annual Gross Value Added to the local economy in the past five years.
The University is also celebrating two other category wins at the 2026 Educate North Awards including the Game-Changing Education Award for ‘Transforming Medical Education with Playful Learning’ and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Award for ‘How to Thrive in Veterinary Education’.
Playful learning approaches such as scavenger hunts, escape rooms and a health lottery which brings to life the impact of the social determinants of health via a life expectancy card game were some of the highlights of the University of Lancashire School of Medicine and Dentistry’s submission for the Game-Changing Education Award.
Dr Abhi Jones, a clinical lead in the School of Medicine and Dentistry, said: “Our Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme exemplifies sustained, transformative innovation in playful teaching.
“By embedding games and gamification across the curriculum, we have redefined medical education making learning engaging, collaborative, and memorable. Our approach is research-informed, widely recognised, and adaptable across disciplines and contexts.”
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Lancashire has embedded a curriculum-wide wellbeing and mental health initiative called ‘How to Thrive’ to address the high levels of distress experienced across the veterinary profession.
Through taught wellbeing content, personalised one-to-one coaching, and collaborative group coaching for both students and staff, the school is proactively transforming the culture of veterinary education.
Charlotte Flynn, Veterinary Coaching and Mentoring Lead at the University of Lancashire, added: “With 98% student engagement, strong positive feedback, and staff reporting that wellbeing is truly embedded, the programme is already delivering measurable impact.”
Winners of the 12th Educate North Awards were announced at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 7 May 2026. The event attracted 700 education professionals from Further and Higher Education institutions from across the North.
