A Stockport gym owner has been named Business Woman of the Year at The English Women’s Awards.

Lianne Sykes, 31, who runs The Lean Body Project, was named the winner in the Under 50 Staff category in the event covering the north of England at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel.

The Lean Body Project on Princes Street in Stockport town centre started out as a bootcamp set up by Damien Coates in 2002 with online coaching providing nutrition and training programs.

In the past three years, the number of members has grown to more than 250 and turnover has tripled.

LBP also employs eight people including four personal trainers and a sales manager.

Lianne said: “I left work three years ago to support Damien and help manage the online business as well as to get back into the gym and provide personal training.

“We now have over 250 committed members doing a combination of high-intensity interval training and personal training.

“We help women get their confidence back through group exercise they can enjoy, easy-to-follow meal plans that work for all the family, and mindset coaching to overcome obstacles that would previously result in them not reaching their goals.”