After such a sizzling summer, autumn hit all of us hard as the reality of the countdown to Christmas began. However, Brentwood Chamber of Commerce brought a smile to the face of Brentwood businesses with two landmark events.

First, at the annual Business Showcase on 5th October at the Brentwood Centre, organised well again this year by Brentwood Council, Chamber had their own ‘Zone’ which included informative workshops presented on a range of subjects of interest to local businesses.

The Chamber also sponsored the ‘Best Exhibitor Stand’ award, which this year was won by Easigrass Essex, with their eye-catching display of model animals created with artificial grass.

• Best Sole Trader sponsored by Nuffield Health – Winner Chicken & Frog Book Shop
• Best SME sponsored by You & I Care – Winner Zest Recycle
• Best Large Business sponsored by Easigrass Essex – Winner Matchroom
• Best Sales & Marketing sponsored by Blue Serif – Winner Wylie Wellness Centre
• Best Customer Service sponsored by Bennetts Funerals – Winner Beauty of Heaven
• Best Local Charity sponsored by Rainer Hughes – Winner Snap
• Best Community Engagement sponsored by Hallmark Care Homes – Winner Minus Cloud Nine
• Best Environment sponsored by BEBA (Brentwood Environment Business Alliance) – The Winner Treehouse Club Forestry Nursery
• Best Business Person sponsored by Tees Law – Winner Kaye Thurgood
• Rising Star sponsored by erb Commercial Insurance – Winner Freddie Foster Cotton Textile Co.
• Employer of the year sponsored by AA&T – Winner The Treehouse Club Forestry Nursery
• People’s Choice sponsored by Brentwood Open – Winner Sophisticated Entertainment
• Overall Business of the year sponsored by Pinney Talford. The runner up was Howe Chartered Surveyors – but the winner and therefore overall best business of the year was:

Overall Winner – Zest Recycle

Congratulations to all of them, particularly the overall winner, Zest Recycle, the presentation being made by our headline Sponsors, Pinney Talfourd.  We were also pleased to introduce 2 new categories this year, Rising Star, aimed at the under 25’s (won by Freddie Foster); and People’s choice.  People’s choice was sponsored by the Brentwood Open Facebook page – operated by Brentwood Business Partnership.  This provoked a huge amount of interest and nominations came from a number of its nearly 15,000 followers, finally whittling down to the winner, Sophisticated Entertainment.

The evening was a great opportunity to cast off the shackles of the last couple of years and demonstrate that business in Brentwood is in good health, and the businesspeople in Brentwood as entrepreneurial and forward thinking as ever.