It is with great pleasure that we announce the WINNERS of the Kingston Borough Business Awards 2024.
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 engages 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: Creative Youth Charity
Creative Youth enables young people to realise their futures through the arts. As a multi-arts charity, we work across a diverse range of art-forms to engage the widest possible audience. By running FUSEBOX, delivering FUSE International festival, alongside other strands of work we provide skills to succeed in the arts.
Best Freelancer / Sole Trader / Micro Business of the Year Award
This award acknowledges freelancers, micro or small 1 – 2 people teams, operating on a smaller scale but demonstrating quality customer service, growth, and adaptability.
Criteria
• Demonstrate a project where your work surpassed or improved a client’s brief.
• Demonstrate the steps you have taken to improve your skills and expertise.
• Demonstrate the methods / strategies you have used to build your brand and attract clients.
• Demonstrate how you differentiate yourself in the market.
• Provide evidence of customer satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: Annie Armitage
Annie Armitage provides personal brand, headshot, nursery school and family photography in SW London, Surrey and internationally through virtual photo shoots. Annie captures the essence of every individual she shoots through exceptionally personal service, putting all her subjects at ease to enjoy both the experience and outstanding final results.
Best Health and Wellbeing Provider Award
This award category will showcase individual practitioners or independent businesses that demonstrate their commitment to the wellbeing of people through the application of a range of mental health, personal and physical programmes.
Criteria
• Demonstrate evidence of the impact your programme/initiative has had on the performance of any business or individuals.
• Demonstrate evidence of the challenges faced and how they were overcome.
• Clearly show what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Demonstrate evidence of satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking for individual practitioners, or an independent practice, that are committed to positive culture and health and wellbeing methods for individuals or workplaces.
Winner: Your Healthcare CIC
Your Healthcare CIC is a not-for-profit social enterprise, delivering patient-led, high quality health and social care community services for residents in Kingston.
As a social enterprise we invest any surplus back into frontline services, where it is needed most by our community.
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 you have 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: Sage’s Health Store
At Sage’s Health Store we strive to support & encourage the people of Surbiton & local areas to ditch the single use plastics and embrace RECYCLE, RE-USE & REFILL! We value the importance of community spirit and building relationships with our customers to provide a safe and welcoming shopping experience unique to us.
Best in Digital Communications Award
This award category will showcase the creative ways individuals, agencies or organisations, are utilising the digital landscape (such as websites, social media, AI or apps) to provide customers tangible communication impacts on their businesses.
Criteria
• Demonstrate how innovation and creativity provided results that achieved / surpassed the client brief.
• Demonstrate tangible results and evaluation.
• Clearly show what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Demonstrate evidence of satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges will be looking for a clear description of the commercial success and impact of your business and a demonstration of excellent digital knowledge.
Winner: Business Clan
Business Clan is a one-stop-shop business consultancy & professional services.
Our award-winning expert team helps businesses who don’t have the time or specialist skills to do everything themselves. From business strategy to implementation (accountancy, digital marketing, HR, web design & contracts), we partner with our clients to grow their business
Best in Property of the Year Award
This award category will recognise borough-based residential and commercial businesses, large or small, that have made an impact in the local property sector, with deals that must have completed since July 2022. Have you done something particularly different or innovative? Have you been an early mover in an area or sector in which no one else saw the potential?
Criteria
• Clearly show evidence commercial success, growth, achievement and ethical values.
• Demonstrate excellent knowledge of your industry and great customer service.
• Clearly show what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Demonstrate evidence of satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking for residential and commercial businesses that are making a significant positive difference to the borough through their activities.
Winner: Harrison Jacks
Harrison Jacks is an agency that knows a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why we invest in expensive marketing, drone videography, drone photography all complimentary to the client to get the property SOLD. We go over and above for clients, we’ll process deals on a Sunday!
Best in Sport and Fitness Award
This award category will champion businesses in the sport and fitness sector for their dedication and commitment to helping people (of all ages) to improve their fitness and achieve their goals. It is for any business in the sport and fitness sector – including but not limited to gyms, yoga, Pilates or meditation studios, football clubs, online coaching, wellness retreats etc.
Criteria
• Demonstrate excellent knowledge of your industry and great customer service.
• Demonstrate evidence of commercial/individual success, growth and achievement.
• Clearly show what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Demonstrate evidence of satisfaction (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking at how you have provided inclusive and fresh programmes and an ongoing commitment to sport and fitness, either as an individual or as a team.
Winner: Be Happy Yoga
Be Happy Yoga is a boutique studio taking a therapeutic approach. We offer small classes for all ages and abilities, plus individualised yoga therapy. This is ideal for people who want a very personalalised teaching style, or who have health conditions. Yoga practices promote holistic wellness and measurable health benefits.
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 customers or clients.
Criteria
• Describe the benefits and values that you provide to your customers.
• Demonstrate the strategies you have implemented to enhance professional services in your business.
• Demonstrate what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Demonstrate how you measure the success of your professional services.
• Provide evidence of customer satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: Ditton HR
Ditton HR is a Human Resources Consultancy run by Claire Watt (FCIPD). Ditton HR helps with all aspects of employing and developing employees resulting in high performing employees who drive businesses forward. Supporting businesses who do not any HR function to larger organisations who have HR but need additional expertise.
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 you identified the market need.
• Demonstrate the key strategies that have contributed to your company’s early growth.
• Demonstrate the challenges you have faced while developing your business, and how you overcame them.
• Demonstrate why your work is deserving of the Best Start Up of the Year Award.
• Describe your most important business decision so far, and what made you take it.
Winner: Social Blox
Social Blox: A trailblazing force empowering underserved groups to thrive in the post-digital age. Our innovative tech drives unprecedented success in fundraising and community building, revolutionizing the way nonprofits operate and achieve their goals.
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: Achieving for Children – Pathways and Progress team (EBP)
We are a not for profit organisation that is focused on supporting children and young people to live safe, happy, healthy and successful lives. We provide children’s services for Kingston, Richmond and Windsor & Maidenhead Councils. The KREBP Team supports young people to access education, training or employment.
Excellence in Customer Experience Award
This award highlights organisations, teams or individuals, who strive to enhance the customer experience they provide in an innovative and sustainable ways.
Criteria
• Demonstrate how you ensure a high standard of customer experience across your business.
• Demonstrate the methods/strategies you have introduced to enhance the customer experience or improve operations.
• Describe an 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: The White House Nursing Home
The White House Nursing Home is an independent family run Nursing Home providing the highest quality of end of life care. We are the only CQC Outstanding rated Home in the Kingston Borough and also bear the GSF quality hallmark for Gold Standard end of life care.
Excellence in Hospitality Award
This award recognises hospitality professionals / services that deliver customer or client satisfaction. This is open to hotels, restaurants, pubs, cafés, caterers and venues.
Criteria
• Demonstrate how you ensure a high standard of customer service across your business.
• Demonstrate the methods / strategies you have introduced to enhance the customer experience or improve operations.
• Demonstrate the processes you have in place to gather feedback from customers and act on it.
• Demonstrate what differentiates you from your competitors.
• Provide evidence of customer satisfaction (such as a case study or testimonials).
Winner: The Wych Elm
The Wych Elm is a traditional pub with a contemporary outlook in the leafy streets of North Kingston, a stone’s throw from the town centre. Run by hands-on independent owner-operators, this neighbourhood pub is a proper local, the perfect destination for those in search of flavourful food and quality beverages.
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: Chessington World of Adventures Resort
At Chessington World of Adventures Resort we invite families to leave the everyday behind and giggle, shriek and scream as they see and do things they’ve never seen or done before, whether that be feeling their heart pound as they journey on their first wild ride or encountering endangered animals.
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 CIC
AuLaw Organic Farm UK CIC aims at promoting ‘Grow Your Own Food, Save Your Own Seeds’. We provide seedlings, sharing lessons, and edible garden farming projects.
Thanks to support from general public on our mission, we will contribute more on community gardening and training of co-growers in the coming year.
Removing Barriers Champions Award
This award category will champion organisations/individuals who are working to remove barriers to employment and work progression, adapting their employment practices to provide positive impacts. This can include support for neurodiverse, under represented or disadvantaged minority groups, women returning to work, carers, care leavers, ex offenders or careers and advice practitioners in schools.
Criteria
• Provide clear evidence of your objectives, target audience and ethical values.
• Demonstrate how your activities/practices have contributed to overcoming barriers.
• Demonstrate evidence of types of support/engagement you have put in place (such as additional support, training, mentoring, work experience opportunities, supporting local schools careers advice offer or adjusting recruitment processes).
• Provide evidence of delivery and positive outcomes from your responsible and inclusive activities (such as case studies or testimonials).
What the judges are looking for
Judges are looking for organisations/individuals who have taken consistent actions and high quality care to remove barriers to employment and provide work progression.
Winner: Oxygen
Oxygen is a youth work charity based in Kingston which supports disadvantaged young people to achieve their potential, with a particular focus on young people facing significant challenges such as mental health, special educational needs and exclusion or disengagement from education. Oxygen’s tagline is ‘Believing in Young People’.
