It is with great pleasure that we announce the WINNERS of the Kingston Borough Business Awards 2023.
Outstanding Business Social Impact Award
The nominees for this award category will show how they have been committed to delivering an outstanding business contributions to the community and will be able to demonstrate the local impact made. This community investment can cover commitment of time, effort and/or money to deliver positive outcomes.
Criteria
• Demonstrate how the objectives, plans and/or strategies were effectively implemented.
• Demonstrate the benefits for the local community/positive impact of your work.
• Demonstrate tangible results and evaluation.
• Demonstrate evidence of satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking for business organisations who show exceptional commitment to delivering the very best in their contributions to the community.
Winner: Robyn Harper Photography
Robyn Harper Photography is a portrait photography business with a focus on storytelling and giving people a voice. This year I wanted to expose violence and abuse against women through photography, documentary and written stories, and formed the Pearl Project in collaboration with Voices of Hope and other partners.
Best Marketing Campaign Award
The Best Marketing Campaign Award is for businesses who have taken a creative, innovative and agile approach in delivering a successful marketing campaign. This can include, as examples, sponsorship, event, print, pop-ups, direct mail, digital, and social media. It is open to individuals, agencies or organisations, of any size, and can prove their campaigns have had a measurable effect.
Judging overview
Judges will be looking for a clear description of an outstanding marketing campaign/project that has made a significant impact, shown creativity and made a lasting impact.
Criteria
- Clearly identify the need or opportunity, defining the brief objectives, an indication of budget and target audience.
- Clearly show what differentiates you from your competitors.
- Demonstrate how innovation and creativity provided results that achieved / surpassed the client brief.
- Demonstrate how the campaign was evaluated and measured.
- Demonstrate evidence of customer satisfaction (such as case studies, testimonials, customer retention / loyalty).
Winner: Time & Leisure Media
Time & Leisure is the No. 1 magazine of choice for businesses and readers in South West London and Surrey. The Kingston edition has built a loyal readership over 20 years. Our lifestyle media channels reach over 312,000 readers every month in print, online, social and at events.
Young Professional of the Year Award
The Young Professional of the Year will celebrate and recognise aspiring young people, less than 35 years of age, who have made a significant contribution or acted as role model to their profession and business.
Judging overview
Judges are looking for young professionals who have made a difference to the organisation they work in and the wider industry. The recipient must have demonstrated professional accomplishments and evidence of outstanding talent, dedication and leadership. Self-nomination is not permitted and must have been employed for at least one year by the business.
Criteria
- Demonstrate noteworthy professional and personal achievements.
- Provide details of strong leadership, teamwork and integrity skills.
- Demonstrate clear contributions made by the individual and the impact on the business or industry.
- Demonstrate evidence of customer or team satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
Winner: Jade Quirke of Russell-Cooke Solicitors
Established in the 1880s by the Cooke brothers, Russell-Cooke LLP has evolved and significantly expanded over the last 140 years. At present, the firm has offices in Central London, Putney and Kingston upon Thames. The company prides itself on its breadth of expertise and Top 100 status.
Best Charity of the Year Award
This award recognises exceptional charities/not-for-profit/voluntary groups that deliver community benefits within the borough.
Criteria
• Demonstrate how your charity engage with the communities it serves?
• Demonstrate a specific project/initiative that has had a positive impact on the community
• Demonstrate how you measure the success of your work in achieving its goals
• Demonstrate how you differentiate yourself in the market?
• Provide evidence of satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: Momentum Children’s Charity
We support families whose children are facing cancer or a life-challenging condition. We partner with nine local hospitals, including Kingston, to offer tailored support both in hospital and at home. Our support services include counselling, creative therapies, experiences and respite breaks. We also undertake ward refurbishments, transforming children’s clinical areas.
Developing Young People’s Skills Award
This award category will showcase organisations that have shown they have a firm commitment to developing the skill sets of young people (under 24 years), to dramatically improve their educational prospects and enhance their employability and life progression.
Criteria
• Demonstrate your commitment through a clear plan, detailing objectives, strategy and delivery.
• Demonstrate how the project has made a real impact for the young person/ people involved.
• Provide details of the challenges faced and how they were overcome.
• Demonstrate inspirational qualities that are appreciated by customers, staff or employers.
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking for organisations that show exceptional commitment to delivering the very best in the development of skills for young people.
Winner: TG Consulting Ltd
TG Consulting is an independent consultancy that specialises in connecting educators, students and employers, with a clear focus on social mobility, diversity and inclusion. It provides unrivalled higher education insights to help employers tailor recruitment campaigns
and products, engage academics and reach students from a diverse background.
Excellence in Food and Beverage Award
Excellence in Food and Beverage Award will reward food, hospitality and beverage providers who are passionate about delivering quality food and drink, and great service. This category includes hotels, restaurants, pubs, cafes and outside caterers.
Judging overview
Judges are looking for businesses who show a commitment to the service and delivery of food and beverages, and an adaptation to consumer / trading trends.
Criteria
- Demonstrate that customer service has been clearly incorporated into your core business strategy
- Clearly show what differentiates you from your competitors
- Demonstrate commitment to staff training / personal skills development
- Demonstrate your commitment to local quality products and supply chains
- Demonstrate evidence of customer satisfaction (such as case studies, testimonials, customer retention / loyalty).
Winner: The Wych Elm
North Kingston’s award-winning Wych Elm is a great little pub nestled in the heart of its community.
Family-run by independent owner-operators, we are committed to keeping this neighbourhood pub a proper local with delicious food, quality drink and excellent, friendly service.
Creative Use of Technology Award
The winners of the Creative Use of Technology Award will have shown how they have utilised technology to provide an improvement or efficiency in their business, their clients or broader community.
Judging overview
Judges will be looking for a clear description of a creative use of technology, with indication of budget. This may include ‘off the shelf’ products if they have been implemented in a way that is beyond its original intention or creatively utilised to solve a problem or need by the business.
Criteria
- Clearly identify the need or opportunity, defining the brief objectives, an indication of budget and target audience.
- Provide details about the innovation, technology or product including its implementation and delivery.
- Demonstrate how the success of the innovation was evaluated and measured.
- Demonstrate the impact of the creative use of technology, challenges that were faced and what has been learnt from this.
Winner: JNDC
Our core focus is ‘design for manufacture’. Quite simply, the designs we engineer are aligned to the most ‘fit for purpose’ manufacturing process. Time, quality and cost are the three key elements to consider throughout the design for manufacture process.
Best Start-Up of the Year Award
This award celebrates the achievements of the best, brightest and most innovative new businesses (up to 18 months old) in Kingston.
Criteria
• Demonstrate what inspired you to start this business, and how did you identify the market need?
• Demonstrate the key strategies that have contributed to your company’s early growth and success?
• Demonstrate the challenges have you faced while developing your business, and how did you overcome them?
• Demonstrate why your work is deserving of the Best Start Up of the Year Award?
• Demonstrate what has been your most important business decision so far, and why?
Winner: Kingston Beats C.I.C.
Kingston Beats is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company set up by recently arrived Hongkongers. We aim to build a support network for Hongkongers who have recently immigrated, or are planning to immigrate, to settle here, maintain their cultural heritage and contribute to the
wellbeing and development of the Kingston community.
Developing Employees Award
The Developing Employees Award winners will have shown how the employer has gone above and beyond the development for their employees, helping them to broaden their skills and support their career path and life-long learning.
Judging overview
Judges are looking for business organisations who show exceptional commitment, learning opportunities and recognition to their colleagues and provide the support to improve the culture of the business.
Criteria
- Demonstrate your commitment through a clear plan, detailing objectives, strategy and delivery
- Demonstrate clear evidence how this has supported the employee
- Demonstrate clear evidence how initiatives have benefited the team/ business accomplishments
- Provide details of the challenges faced, the milestones crossed and how they were overcome
Winner: Comfort Care At Home
We are a multi award-winning domiciliary care provider. We support elderly people to remain safe and independent while living in their own homes for as long as possible. We provide peace of mind to family members, so they know that their loved ones are cared for as part of our family.
Excellence in Professional Services Award
This award showcases the very best work in professional services (such as legal, consulting, advertising, finance, HR or banking) that truly benefit business or clients.
Criteria
• Demonstrate the benefits and values that you provide to your customers?
• Demonstrate the strategies have you implemented to enhance professional services in your business?
• Demonstrate why excellence in professional service is so important to your business.
• Demonstrate how you measure the success of your professional services?
• Provide evidence of customer satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: Summers-Inman
Summers-Inman provides a diverse range of construction consultancy services, specialising in quantity surveying, project and programme management, building surveying, health and safety management, and environmental advisory services. They have been operating for over 100 years, challenging convention, applying a can-do attitude, and committing to quality and service excellence.
Excellence in Customer Experience Award
This award highlights organisations, teams or individuals, who strive to enhance the customer experience they offer in an innovative and sustainable way.
Criteria
• Demonstrate how you ensure a high standard of customer experience across your business?
• Demonstrate the methods/strategies have you introduced to enhance the customer experience or improve operations?
• Demonstrate a real-life example where your approach significantly improved customer experience?
• Demonstrate why your work is deserving of the Excellence in Customer Experience Award?
• Provide evidence of customer satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: Visiting Angels North Surrey
Visiting Angels North Surrey provides personalised care to help people remain living in their own home. We know that home is where the heart is. Treating our caregivers well is important to us, as we want the very best caregivers to provide the very best quality care to clients and their families.
Responsible Workplace Award
The Responsible Workplace Award will go to the organisation that provides the most compelling evidence that their strategy and training for health and wellbeing in the workplace that not only worked, but created a clear and measurable return on investments.
Judging overview
Judges are looking for businesses to show a commitment to health, wellbeing and responsibility in the workplace with clear objectives and effective implementation and tangible results linked to engagement and productivity levels.
Criteria
- Provide the objectives of your health, wellbeing and responsibility strategy in the workplace.
- Demonstrate how new initiatives and implementation of training were developed.
- Provide details of the challenges faced and how they were overcome.
- Demonstrate a clear evaluation of how the new initiatives have strengthened the business.
- Demonstrate evidence of workplace satisfaction (such as case studies, testimonials, staff retention / loyalty).
Winner: 7DOTS
We are an independent creative tech agency who create and build beautiful, frictionless brand experiences. Traditionally, creativity and technology have been seen as two separate disciplines, but we know that blending the two produces the most rewarding human experiences.
Outstanding Green Business Champion Award
This award category will celebrate businesses or individuals who recognise environmental and
sustainability initiatives and reward those who place sustainability at the very heart of their business.
Criteria
• Demonstrate that sustainability has been clearly incorporated into your core business strategy.
• Demonstrate an innovative approach to delivering creative results that achieve / surpass the client brief.
• Demonstrate the tangible benefits for the local community/businesses.
• Demonstrate evidence of satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking for organisations that show exceptional commitment to delivering the very best in sustainable initiatives.
Winner: AuLaw Organic Farm UK C.I.C.
Based in New Malden, we connect the community by promoting and practising sustainable co-farming. We provide Asian vegetable seedlings and transform gardens and public space into farming beds to grow your own. We also organise skills workshops and farm-to-table sharing to facilitate a multicultural exchange in the Kingston area.
Best Business Providers Award
The Best Business Providers Award is designed to recognise the best, independent business providers in the Borough. This category will celebrate diverse, hard-working talent who contribute in different ways to the local economy.
Judging overview
Judges are looking for business providers to demonstrate how their collaborations, objectives and implementations provided effective and tangible results for their clients.
Criteria
- Outline a project/s where you can demonstrate commercial success or growth for your customers.
- Provide details of the challenges faced and how they were overcome.
- Demonstrate your creativity and resourcefulness to meet changing customer needs.
- Demonstrate evidence of customer satisfaction (such as case studies, testimonials, customer retention / loyalty).
Winner: West9 Design Ltd
West9 Design helps businesses and causes to visually communicate their proposition, allowing them to stand out in their market, be proud to show up and attract more of the right connections. From creative design and branding to websites, I help service-based businesses, charities and not-for-profits establish their visual identities.
Independent ‘Love Local’ Retailer Award
This award recognises independent businesses that have gone out of their way to provide an entrepreneurial commitment and spirit to local customer satisfaction.
Criteria
• Demonstrate the ideas you have used to grow your business in a competitive marketplace?
• Demonstrate your biggest challenge as an independent retailer, and how have you overcome it?
• Demonstrate how you foster loyalty among your customers?
• Demonstrate what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Provide evidence of customer satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: Not My Beautiful House
NMBH is a pop-up shop, gallery and event space made by students with support from Union of Kingston Students and Studio KT1. Staffed by graduates, it sells work from students, alumni and local creatives. Yes, the name comes from the Talking Heads song Once in a Lifetime. Our students quite literally rock.
