BDE celebrates local business success
BARKING AND DAGENHAM ENTERPRISE CELEBRATES LOCAL BUSINESS SUCCESS
Last night (07/07/09) Barking and Dagenham Enterprise (BDE) celebrated the achievements of local businesses at its second annual Business Awards ceremony.
Hosted by former premiership and world cup referee Graham Poll, the ceremony at Castle Green highlighted the success of businesses in 11 categories including Innovation, Training and Development, and Community Involvement.
The winners on the night included Boleyn Service Station, who won the Marketing Excellence Award, Bike Dock Solutions, who took home the Best New Business and Innovation accolades and Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club, who picked up two awards, including Business of the Year. Barking Café was named Retailer of the Year.
The Awards received over 100 entries this year and were hailed a major success by the organisers. Chris Oliver, Chair of Barking and Dagenham Enterprise, said:
“These Awards really show that the entrepreneurial spirit in Barking and Dagenham continues to flourish.
“We are delighted that the Awards attracted such an excellent range of high quality entries from so many sectors. We have worthy winners and have seen many other excellent projects, which were serious contenders. The response has been fantastic and shows that business in Barking and Dagenham is thriving – even through the economic downturn.
“Barking and Dagenham Enterprise is proud to support this event and our local businesses in celebrating their success.”
All winners received a trophy and plaques and the overall Business of the Year winner, Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club, received a cheque for £3,000.
Barking and Dagenham Enterprise, winners and participants were joined on the night by sponsoring organisations, which included the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (LBBD), London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), Barking and Dagenham Small Business Centre and Barking Power.
Rob Whiteman, Chief Executive of London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, said:
“Not only does the Borough of Barking and Dagenham have some fantastic long standing companies with real history in the local area, but these awards have shown that we also have some brilliant innovative and new companies coming through that are now essential parts of their communities”.
Steve Thompson, from Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club, winners of Business of the Year award, said:
“These awards are for the club, the staff that work behind the scenes. We would like to thank Barking and Dagenham Enterprise, the business community and the Council for their support.”
The full list of awards winners and sponsors is as follows:
Award/ Winner/ Sponsor
- Best New Business Bike Dock Solutions Barking and Dagenham Small Business Centre
- Business of the Year Dagenham and Redbridge F.C. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
- Business Person of the Year Steve Thompson (Dagenham and Redbridge F.C.) Barking and Dagenham Chamber of Commerce
- Community Involvement including Social Enterprise Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club Barking and Dagenham Enterprise
- Growth Business Amber Food Plus Limited (Amber Bakery) Germinate Business Solutions
- Innovation Bike Dock Solutions SPX Rail Systems
- Marketing Excellence Boleyn Service Station London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
- Retailer of the Year Barking Cafe Millennium Cash and Carry
- Sole Trader/Micro-Business including e-business Top Careers University of East London and Knowledge East
- Special Achievement Jeremy West of West and Coe London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and BDE
- Training and Development R Dunham UK Ltd Barking Power
The Business Awards are just one of the ways that Barking and Dagenham Enterprise seeks to promote and support local businesses. For more information please go to www.boldanddynamic.co.uk
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For further information please contact Sam Kidby (sk@londoncommunications.co.uk) or Baiba Upmale (bu@londoncommunications.co.uk) on 02076128480