BUSINESSES ranging from beach art to bakers picked up wins at the 2015 Enterprising Worcestershire Business Awards.

The event, at the Sixways Stadium in Worcester, was a celebration of Enterprising Worcestershire, a free programme of business support provided by Worcestershire County Council in partnership with the local district councils and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. After receiving a 55 nominations, the finalists and winners were decided by a panel of five judges and a public vote, which attracted more than 1,800 votes.

David Smith, programme manager for Enterprising Worcestershire, said: “It was a great night. The awards are a fitting way to celebrate the success of not just the businesses themselves but the Enterprising Worcestershire programme, which in just three years has supported more than 2,100 individuals and newly established businesses, helping to create 400 new businesses and over 470 new jobs across the county.”

Catherine Bray, area manager at Blue Orchid, which delivers the Enterprising Worcestershire Start Up Support and organised the event, added: "We are delighted with the level of support for this year’s event which demonstrates the passion for business that exists in the local area, particularly from those clients we are working with to achieve their business goals.”

The award winners were: creative business – Beach Art Glass of Hayslan Green, Malvern; ethical trading business – Children Always First Ltd of Bridge Road, Bromsgrove; growth business – Driver Hire (Hereford & Worcester) of King Street, Worcester; high street business –Lorita's Bakehouse of High Street, Bromsgrove; most innovative new business – Avatar 3D of Birmingham Research Park; new start up business – Dephrisk of Malvern Hills Science Park, Malvern.

More than 170 guests heard a keynote speech from Stefan Thomas, author of Amazon bestseller Networking for Dummies, and also had the opportunity to network with more than 30 Worcestershire businesses exhibiting at the event’s business marketplace.