Two South East firms have won national honours at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Celebrating Small Business Awards.
Surrey-based snack firm Creative Nature and Kent care group Hale Place Care Solutions were among the winners of the FSB’s South East regional awards - and have now gone on to secure national success.
At the national awards in Birmingham, Hale Place Care Solutions of Tonbridge, Kent, won the overall Family Business of the Year Award.
The FSB said: "Hale Place offers a full range of personalised services to older people with dementia in the West Kent area. The care homes are based in a small village just outside Tonbridge."
Meanwhile Creative Nature of West Molesey, Surrey, won the overall Exporter of the Year category.
The FSB said: "Creative Nature produces allergy-safe snacks and baking mixes for people with serious food allergies, exporting to over 16 countries including the USA, UAE and Australia. The business model encourages export customers to place orders through UK-based trade accounts that arrange the shipping, reaching stores in countries where large distribution channels aren’t established.”
The South East final of the Celebrating Small Business Awards was held in Shepperton, Surrey, in April.
Some 200 local entrepreneurs and employees attended the awards which were hosted by broadcaster, Dave Sharpe.
The local winners were:
- Micro Business of the Year – Creative Nature (Surrey)
- Start-up Business of the Year – EchoMed (Hants)
- Exporter of the Year – Creative Nature (Surrey)
- Larger Small Business of the Year – Oriel Square (Oxfordshire)
- Diversity and Inclusion – Attendable (Surrey)
- Business and Product Innovation – Be:Loved (Berks)
- Self Employed/Freelancer of the Year – Interactive VA Ltd (Bucks)
- Service Excellence – First Intuition Reading (Berks)
- Young Entrepreneur of the Year – Bare Kind (Kent)
- Family Business of the Year – Hale Place Care Solutions (Kent)
- Sustainability – Y.O.U Underwear (Oxfordshire)
- Community Award – DigiKind Ltd (Surrey)
All the regional winners secured places at the UK finals in Birmingham. They also received £1,000 advertising spend from sponsor Reach plc, publisher of BusinessLive and titles across the South East including Kent Live and Essex Live.
Ray Abrahams, FSB development manager for Surrey, said “The standard of entries was exceptionally high this year, and I would like to congratulate all our finalists who have demonstrated their outstanding success as small business owners.”
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