Awards

awards Awards celebrate business success in challenging year

Hounslow Chamber of Commerce and West London Local Chambers celebrated the cream of the borough’s best businesses in an online awards ceremony in December.

Due to COVID-19, the annual event moved online to recognise and reward some of the region’s big achievers in the business community.

Hosted by the Chamber with guest speaker Mark Ramprakash, the former England cricketer and Strictly Come Dancing winner, the event attracted more than 100 guests and saw Woodnet Lifetstyles crowned Best Business of the Year.

Ash Sanjenbam of Woodnet Lifetstyle – which has created hygiene stations to control the spread of infections – said: “Thank you ever so much, Sally, Alan and all at the Chamber – what a year, what a whopper of a year! I’m very humbled with the award and the recognition.”

Sally Smith, chief operating officer at Hounslow Chamber, said: “I want to congratulate all of our winners and runners-up and, indeed, all who entered the 2019-20 business awards. We would not be the Chamber we are today without your support. These past few months have been challenging for so many of us, so it was good to celebrate successes across Hounslow and West London, albeit via Zoom. I had never even heard of it in March!

“Alan and I certainly enjoyed the evening. We were quite emotional and can’t wait to get back to live events, but in the meantime, we will continue with Zoom!

“I was so impressed with our tech team, courtesy of 2k Tiger, and also the Q&A session with Mark Ramprakash – what a charming person!”

Events management firm 2k Tiger provided the Chamber with technical support, creating a webinar format for the event, organising the Q&A session with Mark Ramprakash and setting up Whatsapp groups to facilitate discussion between the Chamber and the event sponsors. 2k Tiger founder Mrinal Madina said: “It was great to work on this event for the Chamber. The business awards are a regular feature in the calendar and many companies look forward to it and want to get involved.

“We provided a lot of the back-up support that wasn’t visible in the end product but it was important nonetheless.

“Going forward, we all want to get back to live events but even when we do I think there’ll be virtual elements within them. Many people and businesses are embracing technology and incorporating it into their everyday activities.”

Award winners:

Best Business for Health & Wellbeing:

• Cranford Opticians – winner • Sofresh Kitchen – highly commended • Beauty Bar – highly commended

Best Business for Hospitality & Leisure:

• One Golf Club – winner • Holiday Inn London: Brentford Lock – highly commended • 2k Tiger – highly commended

Best Business for Marketing and Social media:

• The Kettle Shed – winner • Fastsigns Hammersmith - highly commended • Contactus – highly commended

Best Business Support & Advice/Service Company:

• Consolidated Logistics Services – winner • Safer Business Hounslow – winner • Oasis Accountants – highly commended

Best Charity/Social Enterprise:

• Serving Our Superheroes – winner • Rotary Club of Hounslow – highly commended • Thamesbank Credit Union – highly commended

Best Entrepreneur:

• Kingfisher SEC & Woodnet Lifestyles – winner • Magenta Security Services - highly commended • 2k Tiger – highly commended

Best Exporter of the Year:

• SKS Group – winner • Russell Finex – highly commended

Best Green Business:

• Magenta Security Services – winner • Chiswick Park Enjoy-Work – highly commended • Russell Finex – highly commended

Best Micro Company:

• London Counselling Practice – winner • Sofresh Kitchen – highly commended • Insightful Images – highly commended

Best Small Company:

• Danhouse Security – winner • Cranford Opticians – highly commended

Best New Business:

• Woodnet Lifestyles – winner • Atrium Hotel Heathrow – highly commended • Venture X Chiswick Park – highly commended

Best Retailer:

• Hearing Well – winner • Beauty Bar – highly commended • Cranford Opticians – highly commended

Best Security Business – Cyber & Physical:

• Kingfisher SEC – winner • Danhouse Security – highly commended • Magenta Security Services – highly commended

Best Tech Business:

• Intellicasa – winner • Consolidated Logistics Services – highly commended • Serendipity int – highly commended

Employer of the Year:

• Danhouse Security – winner • Coalo – highly commended • Fastsigns Hammersmith – highly commended

Lifetime Achiever Large Company:

• Chiswick Park Enjoy-Work

Lifetime Achiever Small Company:

• Beauty Bar

Chamber of Commerce Recognition Award:

• Russell Finex

Business of the Year:

• Woodnet Lifestyles Ltd

Serial volunteer to receive coveted award

Twenty-seven extraordinary people from across the UK are being recognised with the coveted British Citizen Award (BCA) – including Chamber member Sarah Gardner from Uxbridge, Middlesex.

Sarah, who runs the Serving our Superheroes charity, was honoured with a BCAv for Services to Volunteering & Charitable Giving. The charity, which was recently voted the Best Charity/Social Enterprise in the Hounslow Chamber of Commerce and West London Local Chambers

best businesses awards, provides laundry bags, wash bags and other products to frontline care staff and people in need, including homeless people. Due to the current lockdown, the usual grand medal presentation ceremony at The Palace of Westminster was unable to take place. Sarah and the remaining 26 medallists received their BCA medals by courier, together with video messages of congratulations and an invitation to the House of Lords at a date yet to be determined.

The BCA scheme, in association with OneStop, is now in its sixth year and recognises exceptional people who positively impact their communities.

Sarah is a chartered manager and fellow of both the Chartered Management Institute and the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and currently works as a projects and improvements manager. She has worked in the public sector for more than 20 years, during which time she has undertaken many initiatives to help others, mainly in the area of public safety but more recently in the areas of mental health and well-being.

Her current voluntary roles include her work as an army officer for the Army Cadet Force for over 16 years. She is also assistant medical support officer for the Middlesex and North West London Army Cadet Force; a school governor; a trustee of Hounslow Community Food Box (a food bank); and vice chair of Thamesbank Credit Union.

Sarah is also the president-elect and community officer for the Rotary Club of Elthorne-Hillingdon and recently set up two charities to help and improve the lives of others.

Mukesh gains national recognition for volunteering work

Chamber member Mukesh Malhotra has also been selected to receive a British Citizens Award (BCA) for his volunteering and charity work.

For nearly 20 years Mukesh has volunteered within his community and has been instrumental in the fight to end polio.

He is currently director and chair of Chamber member, ThamesBank Credit Union, an unpaid role. This is a financial cooperative owned solely by members to provide a safe place for savings and access to loans. Mukesh also speaks regularly at colleges and universities on third sector topics such as credit unions, food banks, rough sleeping and cyber security.

Through his involvement with the Chamber member, Hounslow Rotary, he has co-founded with Susanne Rea and introduced Rotary World’s Greatest Meal to Help End Polio, which globally has helped in the fight to save more than 18.5 million children from polio. The efforts of the Hounslow Rotary have recently been recognised by The Lord Lt of London & the DL. They have also been commended for their work during the pandemic.

Mukesh is also trustee of the UK arm of a water charity called Roll Out The Barrel, whose primary aim is to transport clean water – that “last mile” from the water pump or borehole using 35-litre water barrels which can be pushed or rolled rather than carried.

In addition to the above, he is a trustee of Disability Network Hounslow, which supports people with physical, sensory or mental impairments. Throughout all Mukesh’s voluntary work, he has helped many communities both locally and nationally.

He says: “I am blown away to be selected to receive a British Citizens Award for my volunteering and charity work. I hope that this inspires all of the unsung heroes in our community, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.”

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