Executive Director's Blog

Countdown to the Barking and Dagenham Business Awards

As the date of the first ever Barking & Dagenham Business Awards approaches I have to declare some nervous excitement about the event. Not only do we have the celebrity Sandi Toksvig coming to host the evening, but there are going to be about 180 business people from the borough in the room, which makes me really in awe. I ran my own business for 10 years and I know just how hard it is day in day out. Businesses are the life blood of this borough, not just as employers, but as providers of services that we all need and use, as well as for their charitable and other support that they offer to a wide range of organisations.

I have spoken with Lloyds TSB who provided the independent judging for the awards and they have told me how impressed they have been with the entries. Its going to be an important day, the winners are being selected and we are all going to celebrate their success. But I think for me the biggest success is the numbers of firms that have entered, for taking that extra time to put in their entry, its very much appreciated.