Overwhelming generosity from local businesses saw a record £10,000 raised for charity at the Leamington Business Awards on Friday 16th November at The Assembly. The initial fundraising total of £6506.70 was announced towards the end of the Awards Dinner, only to be spontaneously topped up to £10k by generous donations from Lloyds Bank, Bellagio Stone, and this year’s Outstanding Achievement winner, Vik Tara from Technology Blueprint.
The 2018 Leamington Business Awards, sponsored by The Box Factory and organised by Harrison Beale & Owen (HB&O), shone a spotlight on some of Leamington’s best business success stories, while raising vital funds for The Ups of Downs and Springfield Mind.
Mark Ashfield, Managing Director of HB&O, said: “We were absolutely thrilled with the outcome of the event on Friday. As well as providing a great opportunity to share the fantastic work being done by local businesses and charities in and around Leamington, the awards raised a significant sum for The Ups of Downs and Springfield Mind. This was only possible thanks to the considerable generosity of our sponsors, supporters and those who attended on the night – thank you to all those who helped make this event such a success.”
Popular independent butcher and deli, Aubrey Allen, was crowned Business of the Year, following strong performances in a number of categories across the awards. The Drawing Board scooped Independent Business of the Year, while Naturally Baby walked away with the Customer Service Excellence Award.
For the first time, the Leamington Business Awards included a South Warwickshire Achievement Award which was won by Get Cooking!, a small business providing cookery classes for people of all ages, currently ranging from 4 to 102!
Now in its fifth year, the black-tie ceremony was held at The Assembly and presided over by Master of Ceremonies, Dave Sharpe. Guests were treated to a three-course dinner and drinks, with entertainment and a charity raffle, as well as the presentation of 11 awards.
The Leamington Business Awards entries were judged by an independent panel of experts, featuring David Hanson, Mentor and former Chief Executive of the Independent Association of Prep Schools; Jonathan Smith, Founder of the Leamington Business Forum; Roger Scott, Area Director, SME banking, Lloyds Bank; Sarah Windrum, CEO of Emerald IT; and Louise Richards, Co-Founder of Motionhouse.
The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors and local organisations who donated funds, supplies and skills to ensure the continued success of the Leamington Business Awards. Particular thanks go to overall sponsor, The Box Factory, Istead Audio Visual for exceptional AV support and staging, KMS Litho for design and print, and The Assembly for providing the venue and welcome drinks.
Nicola Enoch from The Ups of Downs said: “We are absolutely thrilled and amazed at the generosity of our local community. The Ups of Downs is a Leamington based charity, run entirely on a voluntary basis. All of the £5,000 raised will go directly to providing services and resources to enable our children and young people to flourish and show the world just what they can achieve with the right knowledge and opportunities.”
Maria Fennell, CEO of Springfield Mind, said: “We are so fortunate to be one of two charities supported by the 2018 Leamington Business Awards. I was overwhelmed by the support on the night, it was amazing. The evening was so well organised and professional – a wonderful display of the business talent in South Warwickshire. We look forward to spending our donation on activities to support the Leamington community.”
Leamington Business Awards 2018 Winners in full:
New business of the year, sponsored by Bravissimo
Winner: Warwick Street Kitchen
Highly commended: Craig Spivey Creative
Business and the Community, sponsored by Trelawny SPT
Winner: The Kingsley School
Highly commended: Aubrey Allen
Customer service excellence, sponsored by BID Leamington
Winner: Naturally Baby
Not for profit excellence award, sponsored by Aubrey Allen
Winner: Thare Machi Education
Highly commended: LWS Night Shelter
Young Person of the Year, sponsored by IAPS
Winner: Emily Enoch
Employer of the year, sponsored by Bellagio Stone
Winner: Wright Hassall
Highly commended: GENBA Digital
South Warwickshire Achievement Award, sponsored by WDC Business Enterprise
Winner: Get Cooking!
Highly Commended: Rethink Mental Illness Warwickshire Employment Service
Innovation of the year, sponsored by Withers and Rogers
Winner: GENBA Digital
Highly commended: Evolyst
Outstanding achievement of the year, sponsored by Lodders Solicitors
Winner: Vik Tara
Highly commended: Leamington Peace Festival
Independent business of the year, sponsored by The Royal Priors
Winner: The Drawing Board
Highly commended: Go Go Makers
Business of the Year (Judges’ Choice Award), sponsored by The Box Factory
Winner: Aubrey Allen
