Peak UK: 2018 Roland Heros

It's official! We have been officially presented with the trophy and prize for the inaugural Roland Hero Awards, from digital printing solutions brand Roland DG. The award is for our unique, innovative custom printed range of paddlesports equipment.

Jerry Davies, Managing Director of Roland DG UK Ltd, and Gillian Montanaro, Head of Marketing at Roland DG EMEA, visited our Darley Dale headquarters in the Peak District to celebrate the win.

Pete and the Peak UK team were selected as the overall winner of the Roland Hero Awards in January by judges Gillian Montanaro, best-selling author and award-winning entrepreneur Beth Kempton, and Christian Duyckaert, president of printing industry organisation FESPA. After whittling down an incredibly strong shortlist, the judging panel decided that Pete best encompassed what it means to be a Roland user, representing creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship and inspiration.

Take a look at the video below to see how the judges reached their final decision:

Jerry and Gillian presented the official winner's trophy along with a certificate and details on Pete's main prize: a trip of a lifetime to Iceland, Florida or Thailand. The Peak UK team also celebrated with a bottle of champagne.

Pete says he's 'elated' to win and admits that he 'kind of hoped' Peak UK would claim the top prize.

He comments: "I was really proud of our story – great product, great use of sublimation printing.

"It's a real reward for our team here. Everybody's been involved in the design process, the selling, the shipping, the manufacturing, so it's a really great team effort. Everyone should be proud. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Roland and the judges!"

While Pete hasn't confirmed his choice of destination, a trip to exotic Thailand for four people looks like the favourite.

"We've never been to Thailand and it looks amazing – I'd love to explore a new country and culture," says Pete. "We'd like to try and get out kayaking when we're there too!"

Pete has this advice for entrepreneurs thinking about working in printing or design: "Find a niche, make sure your quality is top notch and stand out from the rest with your creativity."

Watch the video to see us receiving our prize here:

Jerry Davies, Managing Director of Roland DG UK Ltd, adds: "It was a pleasure to meet Pete and the Peak UK team in the beautiful Derwent Valley. Peak UK demonstrates how creative ideas can come to life with the right technology – in this case reaching the global paddlesport garment market by utilising the brilliant Roland Texart system. Everyone at Roland sends huge congratulations to Pete and hopes he thoroughly enjoys his holiday."

For further information on Roland DG visit rolanddg.eu and to find out more about Peak UK visit peakuk.com.