Local businesses featured strongly at this year’s Monmouthshire Business Awards celebrated last Friday (October 21) at a black tie event held at Newport’s Celtic Manor Resort.

More than 350 guests attended the event hosted by TV personality Hywel James to applaud the thirteen category winners.

Select Security based in Goytre picked up two gongs - for Excellence in Technology Innovation and Innovation in Business.

The Best Small Business was judged to be Sugarloaf Vineyard, sited on the slopes of the Black Mountains, while the award for Excellence in Marketing went to Abergavenny Food Festival

A total of thirty businesses made the shortlists, ranging from a rural village store to a registered childcare provider - reflecting the diversity and variety of firms within Monmouthshire’s business community.

In addition, two individuals had been nominated for the Apprentice of the Year award, demonstrating the incredible business acumen of Monmouthshire’s young people.

The remaining winners were:

Community Life Award – The Greenman Backpackers, Chepstow; Most Promising Start-up – Crikey Bikey; Young Entrepreneur – Milo; Hospitality, Travel and Tourism – Monmouthshire Cottages, Chepstow; Excellence in e-Commerce including Retail – Tigerbella, Monmouth; Young Apprentice of the Year – Tim Battersby; Socially Responsible Business – St Pierre Marriott; Company Demonstrating Sustained Growth – Keen Attachments, Caldicot; Company of the Year – Reid Lifting Ltd, Chepstow.

Awards organiser Janet Harris said, “My warmest congratulations go to our winners. Competition for these prestigious awards has been tougher than ever this year with over 119 companies entering.

“I would like to thank everyone who took the time to apply – judges have confirmed that this year’s high standard of entries has made their job even harder. In one instance only half a mark separated first and second places.

“There are so many examples of outstanding enterprise within the county and it is right that we recognise these and declare Monmouthshire to be a place which values successful ventures.”

Guests at the event included the Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent, Brigadier Robert Aitken, Deputy Welsh Minister Glyn Davies MP, Monmouth MP David Davies, Peter Fox, Leader at Monmouthshire County Council, Bob Greenland, deputy leader at the council and Paul Matthews, the council’s chief executive.

On the evening guests donated more than £1,600 towards Emily Clark’s ‘Remission Possible’ appeal which is raising funds in her memory to support the building of a new bone marrow transplant ward; to donate visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/remissionpossible