On Friday 10th November the winners of the 10th Adur & Worthing Business Awards were announced at The Pavilion Theatre, Worthing.

The sell-out event was attended by over 370 guests all representing local businesses and included the town’s Mayor, Alex Harman and Mayoress, The Rt Hon, Baroness Virginia Bottomley as well as other distinguished guests and Council delegates.

The Adur & Worthing Business Awards is one of the most prestigious events in the local business calendar and over 750 entries and nominations were received, making this a record breaking year.

Now organised under the umbrella of the Adur & Worthing Business Partnership (AWBP) as a not-for-profit organisation, the Adur & Worthing Business Awards are organised by a committee of successful local business people from organisations including Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd, JSPC Computer Services, Seagull Travel, Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce and Adur & Worthing Council.

James Stoner, Managing Director of JSPC, commented “This has been a special year as it marks the 10th anniversary of the Awards and the first year that the event has been run for the businesses by businesses. The calibre of entries was of a particularly high standard which gave the judging panel a tremendously difficult task. However, after careful deliberation, we knew the right winners had been selected.”

The winner of the coveted Overall Business of the Year award went to The Gemini Print Group.  Judges awarded the dedicated and innovative print company this title as they deemed them to be the organisation who had shown the most enterprise, passion and drive in taking their business forward. The company has expanded significantly without compromising on their outstanding customer service, showing themselves a force to be reckoned with in the world of print.

This year Sue Dare MBE was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work within the Further Education sector for more than 35 years.  This accolade is awarded to an individual who has had a major impact on their business and the area over a number of years. Sue held the title of Principal of Northbrook College from November 2009 until March this year and under her guidance it has become England’s third highest performing college. Over the years Sue has also been involved with the Sussex Learning Network, Adur & Worthing Business Partnership and was integral in setting up the Greater Brighton Economic Board.

In addition to recognising some of the top business talent in our local area, this year’s awards also supported Love Your Hospital, a dedicated charity for Western Sussex Hospital NHS Foundation Trust who raise vital funds Worthing, Southlands and St Richard’s Hospitals.   A fundraising raffle courtesy of Darren Crabb was held during the awards ceremony resulting in £1,925 being raised for this fantastic cause.

Peter Webb MBE, Managing Director of Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd commented; “I would like to personally congratulate all of the award winners, runners up and finalists, for their exceptional achievements over the past year. The Adur & Worthing Business Awards & Gala dinner is an unmissable event for local businesses and I’m delighted that the evening was such a great success”

The photographs on the night were taken by Martin Bloomfield, Steve Forrest and Andy Matthews from Bloomfield Digital.

The winners

Start-Up
(Sponsored by: Adur & Worthing Council)
WINNER: Freedom Works Ltd

Small Business, up to 9 employees
(Sponsored by: Adur & Worthing Business Partnership)
WINNER: Wall Bros Carpets & Flooring

Medium Business, 10 to 49 employees
(Sponsored by: Allergy Therapeutics)
JOINT WINNERS: 5 Rings Group & Spicer International Ltd

Business Personality
(Sponsored by: The Martlet Partnership)
WINNER: Sharon Clarke

Large Business, 50+ employees
(Sponsored by: Worthing Pier Southern Pavilion)
WINNER: The Gemini Print Group

Young Achiever
(Sponsored by: Lancing College Preparatory School at Worthing)
WINNER: Ben Griggs

Customer Service
(Sponsored by: Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce)
WINNER: Prosperon Networks

Business in the Community
(Sponsored by: Bowers & Wilkins)
WINNER: Whitebox UK

Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure
(Sponsored by: Southern Water)
WINNER: South Downs Leisure

Innovation
(Sponsored by: Kreston Reeves)
WINNER: The Protein Ball Co

Building & Construction
(Sponsored by: Gardner Scardifield) 
WINNER: ECE Architecture

Manufacturing & Engineering
(Sponsored by: Carpenter Box)
WINNER: Allergy Therapeutics

Retailer
(Sponsored by: Worthing Town Centre Initiative)
WINNER: Gardner & Scardifield Ltd

Training & Development
(Sponsored by: MET - Greater Brighton Metropolitan College)
WINNER: Egalite Care Ltd

Place to Eat and/or Drink
(Sponsored by: Bennett Griffin Solicitors & Notaries)
WINNER: CrabShack

Green Business
(Sponsored by: Sussex Transport)
WINNER: Proto Restaurant Group

Lifetime Achievement
(Sponsored by: JSPC Computer Services)
WINNER: Sue Dare MBE

Overall Business of the Year
(Sponsored by: Electronic Temperature Instruments Ltd)
WINNER: Gemini Print Group