Wiltshire emerged with three award winners in the South West's biggest annual contest for small businesses.
The FSB South West Small Business Awards final saw five Wiltshire entries on the shortlist for the 12 honours up for grabs and a trio of them – Swindon’s Top Professionals Access Limited, Charlton Baker of Devizes and Bath, and Dan Yates, who works for Greener in Warminster, returned with trophies.
All three will now get the chance to appear in the national FSB final in the spring.
Chartered accountants Charlton Baker scooped the FSB Larger Small Business title, Top Professionals Access Limited won the new Diversity and Inclusion award while Dan Yates won the Young Entrepreneur title. It was the second consecutive year that the FSB Young Entrepreneur accolade had come to Wiltshire, following the success of gardener Alfie Jones, of Royal Wootton Bassett, last year.
Sebastian Kopanski of Top Professionals Access Limited claimed the first ever South West FSB Diversity and Inclusion title for his work helping people with sensory or neurodivergent conditions.
He said: “I am delighted to be a winner because my efforts to make the world more accessible and inclusive were recognised.
"Moreover, I believe that the award recognises people living with various conditions and disabilities, their challenges and their drive to live independent, thriving and fulfilling lives."
Dan Yates of Greener, who started his business to help SMEs find sustainable supply chain support, was delighted to be recognised by his business peers.
He said: “When you start a business you don’t tend to lift your head up and wonder how you are seen. To win this means we must be doing something right in our aim to make sustainability simpler and easier for small businesses.”
Scott Sartin of Charlton Baker said the firm's award meant it was able to continue its ambition to change perception people of accountants and accountancy.
He added: “We are genuinely ecstatic and blown away to win this and we certainly didn’t expect it.
“We have set out a vision to change the face of accountancy and redefine what we do and how we do it. Hopefully this award shows that people are able to see what we are trying to achieve.”
Lee Nathan, the FSB Regional Chairman for the South West, said: “Entries flooded in from all across our area from Cornwall, Dorset, Wiltshire, Bath, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Devon, and even picking regional shortlists for the categories was a nightmare for our judges, let alone actually picking the winners.
“This was our unique chance to showcase what we all truly believe – that the South West has the best, most innovative and most creative small businesses in the whole of the UK."
Sponsorship for the event came from Reach plc, NatWest, Tyl by NatWest, Aldermore, FSB Insurance, Weston College, Renishaw, Lexus Bristol and Gravity.
The full roster of award winners is:
Business & Product Innovation Award
PEEQUAL (Bristol )
Family Business of the Year
The Devon Seaweed Company (Newton Abbott, Devon)
Exporter of the Year
Mucky Nutz (Bude, Cornwall)
Sustainability Award
Feritech Global Ltd (Redruth)
Start-up Business of the Year
PEEQUAL (Bristol )
Diversity and Inclusion Award
Top Professionals Access Limited (Swindon, Wiltshire)
Micro Business of the Year
Habitat Aid Limited (Bruton, Somerset)
Self-employed/Sole Trader of the Year
Simon Hall (Exeter, Devon)
Larger Small Business of the Year
Charlton Baker (Devizes, Wiltshire)
Service Excellence
Right at Home (Poole, Dorset)
Community Award
Okehampton Community Kitchen Limited (Okehampton, Devon )
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Dan Yates at Greener (Warminster, Wiltshire)
Further information about the awards can be found at www.fsbawards.co.uk
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