Awards night beckons for best of Bedfordshire small businesses

SIXTY five companies and individuals from across Bedfordshire have been shortlisted in 14 categories in the Bedfordshire Federation of Small Business (FSB) awards.

Prizes, including £5,000 in advertising from Premier Newspapers, the publisher of this website, will be handed out at a glittering black tie ceremony at The Mansion House, Shuttleworth Park, Old Warden, on Wednesday, June 13.

FSB organiser Damian Cummins said: “There were lots of smiles and even excitement at some of the well presented submissions.”

Host for the judging David Glover from Mercedes-Benz of Bedford expressed “surprise at the quality of the entries from right across Bedfordshire” while head judge Charles Smith from the FSB said: “I’m delighted to see such entrepreneurship in Bedfordshire”

Every application was scored by at least five of 13 judges.

John Francis, group editor at Media Partner Premier Newspapers, said: “It was a pleasure to read about the achievements of firms and individuals we have already featured in our papers, and to find about about spectacular success enjoyed by companies which we haven’t yet covered - all their success stories are certainly worth bringing to wider attention.

“To find such evidence or robust business success and passion to succeed even in these tough times should be reassuring to all of us.”

The shortlisted firms are:

l Best new business: ATP, Fairies N Frogs, G Whizz Media Ltd, Brainwork Marketing, Mid Beds Tyres Ltd, Crannull Consulting Ltd

l Business innovation: Toybox Day Nurseries, The Play Doctors, TaxAssist Accountants Bedford, Harmony Internet, Silvertoad.

l Business person of the year: Mohammed Nadeem, Irena Oliver, Michelle Shulman.

l Business woman of the year: Luan Hall, Pippa Highfield, Irena Oliver, Kerry Cash, Kathy Birch, Michelle Shulman.

l Employee of the year: Renata Bernotiene – The White Horse, Daniel Young - Cowley Holmes Accountants.

l Enterprising business: 2K Manufacturing, The Play Doctors, Warnerbus, The Mansion House, Foley Exhibitions, Cakes by Shelly.

l Franchisee of the year: Riverford, TaxAssist Accountants Bedford, TaxAssist Accountants Dunstable/Leighton Buzzard.

l Green award: 2K Manufacturing, EcoStyle.

l Networking group of the year: Beds New Business Network, LB Connect, Team Hurricane, Bedfordshire Business Women, Network Luton, Networking@Dunstable.

l Real-life entrepreneur: Zak Resinato – Jagged Edge, Mohammed Nadeem – Namdeem Property Services, Russell Bennett - Recruiter Hub, Amanda Murrell – Amanda Murrell Associates, David Lambert - Pronto Services.

l Retailer of the year: Fairies N Frogs, The Four Kings Bar & Cafe, The White Horse (Bedford) Ltd, Fogarty Formal Wear.

l Service excellence: Warnerbus, Thomas Cox & Co, Cowley Holmes Accountants LLP, 5th Avenue Hair & Beauty Spa Ltd, The Embankment, Pronto Services

l Training and development: Toybox Day Nurseries, Osborne Morris & Morgan, Stoten Gillam, The White Horse Pub, 5th Avenue Hair & Beauty Spa Ltd, Premier Solicitors LLP

l Young business person of the year: Zak Resinato - Jagged Edge, Barbara Eyeson - Eyes on Inventories, Rakash Mattu - Premier Solicitors LLP, Diana Simkauskaite – Diana Simkauskaite.

For more details about sponsors and the black tie awards presentation, visit www.fsb.org.uk/beds-awards