After a dazzling ceremony at Hartpury University on Thursday 17 October 2024, SoGlos is thrilled to reveal the winners of this year's Gloucestershire Business Awards!
Celebrating the very best of the county's diverse business community, the event brought together partners, finalists and special guests to exclusively reveal the winners and highly commended businesses across 19 categories — including the coveted Business of the Year 2024, handpicked by headline co-partners Hazlewoods and Willans LLP solicitors.
With the calibre of entries being even higher this year than ever before, the respected judging panel, comprised of representatives from our headline co-partners and each category partner, had the difficult task of whittling down the shortlist, with only the very best making it through as a finalist.
The event was a huge success, with a delicious supper provided by Hungry Monkey and celebratory drinks from Cellar Supplies — with special thanks to PR Production Services, our inimitable compere Steve Knibbs and the whole SoGlos team for helping to make the magic happen once again.
And the winners are...
Gloucestershire Business Awards 2024 winners
New Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Clockwise
Winner: Solr Energy
This closely contested category saw renewable energy specialist Solr Energy take the top spot for New Business of the Year 2024.
Established in 2022, its unique instant pricing system puts the power back into customers' hands, allowing them to design and build their own solar PV system to their own specification, using the equipment they want, with no hidden costs — while its team aims to educate and empower clients of all sizes to help them fulfil their needs. Its team has doubled in size since its inception and is on track to double again before the end of the year.
Highly commended: Tallow + Ash
Innovative Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Hartpury University and Hartpury College
Winner: Paradise Tattoo Studio
Gaining well-deserved recognition for its pioneering 3D nipple and areola tattooing, Paradise Tattoo Studio in Cheltenham takes home the award for Innovative Business of the Year 2024.
This female-led business has made its mark on the sector, working in partnership with the likes of the NHS and Nuffield Hospitals to provide life-changing medical tattoos which empower people to reclaim their self-confidence following breast cancer diagnoses and mastectomy surgery — all alongside running a successful traditional tattooing business.
Highly commended: Astor Bannerman
Growth Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: PoloWorks
Winner: Montpellier Legal
Montpellier Legal takes the award for Growth Business of the Year 2024, as one of the fastest-growing success stories in the county.
It has gone from strength-to-strength over the last 12 months, opening three new offices in Gloucester, Stroud and Cirencester with plans to open more in the pipeline — becoming the largest conveyancing firm in Gloucestershire in just four years. As well as its impressive turnover despite a fairly static market, it has also grown its team, hiring more than 20 new staff, and is taking on double the amount of new transactions each month compared to last year.
Highly commended: Prosperity Care and Wellbeing
Family Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: QuoLux
Winner: D.C. Merrett & Company
With four sisters challenging preconceptions in a male-dominated industry, heavy haulage and waste services provider D.C. Merrett & Company is Family Business of the Year 2024.
Founded by dad Dave; managed with mum Kate; and employing all four daughters and a son-in-law, D.C. Merrett is a family business through and through, with the integrity and ethics instilled in the family forming the 'backbone' of the company. With the next generation of Merretts in-line to carry on the family business when their father retries — and grandchildren waiting in the wings — the continued success of this Gloucestershire institution is in safe hands.
Highly commended: Hobbs House Bakery
Green Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Gloucestershire County Council
Winner: Prima Dental Manufacturing
The world's largest dental bur manufacturer and King's Award winner, Gloucester-based Prima Dental receives the trophy for Green Business of the Year 2024.
Making huge strides to reduce its impact on the environment, it has achieved ISO14001 and ISO50001 certification in the last 12 months; achieved zero-to-landfill through robust recycling practices; eliminated disposable plastic cups; introduced intelligent lighting, waterless urinals, air source heat pumps and more, saving 100 tonnes of CO2 per year; installed solar panels which are set to reduce CO2 emissions by 90 tonnes per year; and created CSR initiatives around environmental awareness and waste reduction — demonstrating an unwavering commitment to environmental responsibility.
Highly commended: Wildwood Ecology
Best Place to Work Award 2024
Category partner: The Growth Hub
Winner: Rappor Consultants
From a small office in Cheltenham to seven towns and cities across the country, Rappor Consultants takes home the Best Place to Work Award 2024.
Working hard to create a culture where people's professional development and wellbeing is paramount, Rappor is proud to have a Gold Investors in People accreditation, as well as a robust wellbeing strategy which nurtures physical and mental wellness through health challenges, online wellbeing resources, mental health first aid provision, free fresh fruit and a generous annual leave policy — as well as allowing staff time to study, grow and thrive.
Highly commended: Lanes Health
Customer Excellence Award 2024
Category partner: MKM Building Supplies
Winner: Penguin Uniform
Scooping the Customer Excellence Award 2024 is Cheltenham-based embroidery and print specialist, Penguin Uniform.
Loved by its customers, who rate it 4.9 out of five on Google reviews and excellent on Trustpilot, not to mention coming back again and again for repeat orders, Penguin has established itself as a truly customer service-led business, consistently delivering the highest standards in a competitive marketplace with many potential pitfalls. As well as praising its service and the quality of the product, one of the key words customers also highlight is 'team', showing that the levels of excellence customers have come to expect also apply to the working environment for staff, too.
Highly commended: Holiday Architects
International Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Ecctis
Winner: Moog Controls
Recognised across the globe for technical excellence and quality, International Business of the Year 2024 goes to Tewkesbury-based Moog Controls.
Its products are exported worldwide and installed on all major military and commercial aircraft, from the Airbus A380 to the F-15, with export sales from its Tewkesbury base hitting over £40 million in 2023 — with that figure set to double within the next decade. Over 66 per cent of sales are exported to 23 different countries across Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
Highly commended: Stewart Golf
Employee of the Year 2024
Category partner: Seymour John
Winner: Lenny Dance from Stagecoach West
Head and shoulders above the competition in this category, Employee of the Year 2024 goes to Lenny Dance.
Lenny works as a quality control inspector at Stagecoach West and in November 2023, when he was asked to drive a replacement shuttle to collect passengers from a broken down bus, he quickly realised that the scene he'd arrived on to was a life-or-death situation. After discovering that one of the passengers on-board the original bus had suffered a heart attack and wasn't breathing, Lenny administered CPR guided by a 999 operator until an ambulance arrived, despite having never performed CPR before. Paramedics acknowledged his efforts and thanked him for his support — and both his employer and the judges deemed him a worthy winner for his heroism.
Highly commended: Shelley Stevens from The Cheltenham Trust
Team of the Year 2024
Category partner: Fat Potato
Winner: Astor Bannerman
Showing incredible team spirit by rising to a huge challenge and delivering, Team of the Year 2024 goes to Astor Bannerman.
Leading the way to make the Changing Places campaign legislation in 2021, Astor Bannerman's products — like Changing Places toilets and its revolutionary new bath — improve daily life for disabled people across the country. Its team installed 28 Changing Places toilets in 20 days in March 2024, with similar numbers subsequently in April, May and June. Taking a gargantuan effort across the business, from the people that purpose-design the products to the teams installing them out in the field, the entire business pulled together to pull it off, giving up their weekends, doing back-to-back shifts and even breaking records on installation times, providing a seamless service for clients and allowing the business to capitalise on this incredible growth opportunity.
Highly commended: G-TEKT
Apprentice of the Year 2024
Category partner: South Gloucestershire and Stroud College
Winner: Alison Dreezer from National Star
With incredible scores from our esteemed judging panel, Apprentice of the Year 2024 goes to Alison Dreezer — a nursing apprentice at National Star.
Making her dreams come true at 47-years-old, having put her career aspirations on hold to take care of her four children, as well as overcoming the practical challenges of studying alongside work and family life, Alison has overcome challenges to become not only an outstanding apprentice, but an incredible mentor for younger nursing undergraduates. She has used her experience as a support worker to help them understand everything from changing beds to gastrointestinal feeding and is now training support workers on how to deal with seizures — and is even managing the day-to-day healthcare needs of a group of day students.
Highly commended: Alice Openshaw from Lumiere Restaurant
Cyber Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Cleevely Electric Vehicles
Winner: Nova Blue Technologies
On a mission to democratise cyber security, Nova Blue Technologies is Cyber Business of the Year 2024.
Breaking down barriers to help prevent cyber attacks before they happen — rather than simply detecting or responding to them — Nova Blue Technologies works with clients to help their workforces understand cyber threats, build a cyber secure culture and provide executive-level guidance, as well as actually doing the cyber security. Its innovative approach has seen it win lucrative contracts from the likes of the MOD and quadruple revenue each year since the company started, but instead of being focused on delivering value for shareholders, its core purpose is to make cyber security services accessible to all, helping in turn to make society safer.
Highly commended: ReformIT
Charity of the Year 2024
Category partner: Nimble Elearning
Winner: Pied Piper Appeal
This fundraising campaign led by trustee Julie Kent MBE won over the judges by a mile, with Charity of the Year 2024 going to Emily’s Gift as part of the Pied Piper Appeal.
After losing her own daughter to a brain tumour aged just three-years-old, Julie has been working tirelessly to support children with cancer and their families in Gloucestershire. The charity's latest mission aimed to raise £500,000 to fund a psychologist for the Gloucestershire children's cancer care unit — the only unit in the country without dedicated psychological support for families. Knowing cake sales and raffles wouldn't be enough, Julie used her impressive business acumen to get in front of Rotary clubs, business breakfasts, networking events and more to ask 250 businesses to make a manageable pledge of £2,000 over 10 years — and raised a grand total of £520,000.
Highly commended: Young Gloucestershire
Corporate Social Responsibility Award 2024
Category partner: Green Gourmet
Winner: Gloucester Brewery
Not satisfied with snapping up two awards at the Gloucestershire Lifestyle Awards earlier this year, Gloucester Brewery is also the winner of the Corporate Social Responsibility Award 2024.
Baking charity and community engagement into the core of its operations, it not only fundraises for local charities and community groups, but provides them with free event space and volunteer support from its own team — and has even created exclusive new products, from an alcohol-free IPA to raise money for the air ambulance, to a limited edition Emily's Gift gin. It works hard to make its Warehouse 4 taproom a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, disabled people and people of all faiths; provides work experience opportunities, guest lectures and seminars for around 1,000 local young people; and uses green energy, recycled materials and prioritises local suppliers to bring down its carbon footprint, too.
Highly commended: Infrastar
Micro Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre
Winner: Cherry Orchard Publishing
Cherry Orchard Publishing takes home the award for Micro Business of the Year 2024, in this competitive category.
Despite having over 30 years of trading under its belt and customers all over the country, Cherry Orchard Publishing has retained its personal touch. Taking care of customers and developing long-lasting relationships with them is of utmost importance — customers know the team by name — as is creating a strong team internally with a democratic leadership style that fosters a sense of motivation, commitment and cohesiveness.
Highly commended: Content Chef
Small Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: HR Star
Winner: The Pie House at Cinderhill Farm
The winner in this category, Small Business of the Year 2024 goes to The Pie House at Cinderhill Farm.
This Forest of Dean firm not only turned over its first £1 million in the last financial year, it was also handpicked to star in Channel 4's hit show A Cotswold Farm Shop where it got to showcase its incredible handmade pies and pastries, including its famous sausage rolls, to the nation — and even catered for the coronation of King Charles III. Championing local produce, renewable energy and sustainable business practices; providing meaningful employment and a living wage to local people; and providing gender equality on its board, this small business is a true leading light.
Highly commended: Squashed Robot Films
Medium Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: 16i
Winner: Cotswold Energy Group
Coming out of its most-profitable year to date, Cotswold Energy Group takes the title of Medium Business of the Year 2024.
With ambition driving the company forward, Cotswold Energy Group has become one of the country's leading renewable energy suppliers. Having delivered its biggest project so far in 2024, it has already secured public sector contracts that eclipse its previous achievements, with its pioneering green technology helping to decarbonise the private and public sector at an incredible rate, while still providing exceptional quality service. The company is a great example of sustainable growth, driven by innovation and underpinned by an unshakeable commitment to community and combatting climate change.
Highly commended: Hewer Facilities Management
Large Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Vitruvius
Winner: Markey Group
Employing over 300 people in Gloucestershire with a strong family legacy, Markey Group is our Large Business of the Year 2024.
From kitchens to care homes, construction to electric vehicles, Markey Group encompasses a broad variety of sectors, but keeps family values at heart as it forges forward with a new generation leading the way. In a pivotal year for the group, it is expanding into new markets with the aim of becoming a key player in shaping EV charging infrastructure across the country; investing in sustainable energy to drive positive change throughout the organisation and show that profitability and environmental responsibility can go hand-in-hand; and continuing to nurture and value its 300-strong workforce, paying a real living wage and fostering a culture of dignity and respect for every member of its team.
Highly commended: Moog Controls
Business of the Year 2024
Category partner: Hazlewoods and Willans LLP solicitors
Winner: Nova Blue Technologies
Finally, handpicked by Gloucestershire Business Awards headline co-partners Hazlewoods and Willans LLP, Nova Blue Technologies is crowned our overall Business of the Year 2024 winner.
Founder and CEO of Nova Blue Technologies, Steve Mason, said: 'We're all feeling very shocked. I'm the guy who gets to hold the award but I stand on the shoulders of greatness.
'It's the team that really makes everything happen. Gloucestershire is a really big part of who we are and our culture, so we're really happy to have won this.'
Be part of the Gloucestershire Business Awards 2025
To find out about partnership opportunities and the chance to associate your brand with Gloucestershire's definitive business awards, contact SoGlos's Partnerships Hub by emailing partnerships@sopublishing.com or calling (01242) 210330.
For more information about the awards, see soglos.com/business-awards.
