What a Year! Our Favourite Cooks Moments From 2025

04/12/2025

It’s fair to say that 2025 will be one of those years we look back on with a real mix of pride, relief, and a bit of disbelief at how much we managed to squeeze in. Marking 60 years as a family-run business was the headline moment, but everything around it - the people, the events, the community work, the unexpected wins - made it feel even bigger.

Here’s a look at what stood out to us as we reach the end of the year.

Celebrating 60 Years in Style (and Raising Money While We Did)

The 60th Ball was easily one of the highlights. It took months of planning, a lot of evenings spent going over the tiny details, and plenty of crossed fingers. Seeing it all come together on the night made the hard work worth it. Even better, the event raised over £2,400 for NANSA, which is something we’re incredibly proud of.

We also held the Cooks Family Fun Day, which brought staff and their families together for an afternoon that was exactly what we hoped it would be - relaxed, cheerful, and full of those moments that remind you why a family business lasts as long as ours has. And again, it helped raise money for NANSA, which gave the day even more meaning.

Another thing that made this year feel special was being part of the GoGo Safari tail. Our rhino, Horatio Horn’Ocerus, ended up being a bit of a fan favourite. When the auction rolled around, we decided to go for it and buy him back to help raise even more for Break. He’s now back with us, and we couldn’t be happier about it.

A Few Other Standout Moments

There were plenty of other high points throughout the year - the sort that don’t always grab attention in the same way as a big event, but still matter:

• Running the stand at the Royal Norfolk Show, this time with the Hörmann team joining us. Having them there added a nice buzz to the couple of days.
• Being awarded Preferred Status as one of the top-performing contractors.
• Hosting a full content day at the showroom with a videographer capturing everything from product footage to being-the-scenes clips.

And, somewhere in the middle of all that, we found ourselves featured in the Autumn 2025 BBSA Magazine, which was a lovely nod to the company reaching its 60-year milestone.

The Bits That Weren’t Quite So Simple

We don’t pretend the year was smooth from start to finish. The events alone kept us on our toes. There were deadlines, curveballs, last-minute changes, and all the things that happen when you try to organise anything bigger than a team meeting. Our events committee stepped up again and again - they were genuinely brilliant.

A Message to Our Customers

If there’s one thing we want to say as we close out the year, it’s simply: thank you.

Your trust in us is what keeps the business going. Celebrating 60 years only means something if people still choose to come back to us, and we don’t take that for granted. Whether you booked a survey, ordered a product, recommended us to someone or just stopped by the showroom for advice - we appreciate it.

We’re looking forward to helping you again in 2026.

A Word for the Team

We also want to shine a spotlight on the people inside the business. We’ve got fitters who go above and beyond, workshop staff who keep everything moving, office teams who deal with a hundred different things at once, and customer service staff who always manage to stay calm even on the busiest days.

Reaching 60 years is one thing. Reaching 60 years with a team like ours is something entirely different.

What’s On the Horizon for 2026

We’ve got a few clear goals for the new year. One is to keep building our social media presence, especially now that we have better video content and more ways to show people what we do. Another is to carry on supporting the charities we’ve worked with this year - that’s something we’re committed to long-term.

Other plans are taking shape too, but we’ll share more as the year begins to unfold.

Christmas Opening Hours

A quick reminder of our festive break:

• Closing: Tuesday 23rd December 2025 at 5pm
• Reopening: Monday 5th January 2026

If you’re planning any work for early in the new year, it’s worth getting in touch before the break so we can line everything up.

Looking Ahead With Optimism

After such a big milestone year, stepping into 2026 feels like a fresh start in the best possible way. We’re heading into it with a lot of gratitude, a lot of motivation, and the same commitment to quality and service that’s carried us through every decade so far.

We wish all our customers and partners a healthy, positive and successful year ahead - and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2026.