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"With some surveys offering tentative signs of an upturn in the economy, perhaps we can even dare to hope that the number of entries for this year's awards is a sign of confidence returning"
Terry HuntEditor, East Anglian Daily Times
Winners of EADT Business Awards 2013 revealed
Singer Laura Wright performing at Trinity Park for the EADT Business Awards
Waste management specialist Sackers Recycling claimed the top honour in the 2013 East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards.
Sackers, which is based at Claydon, near Ipswich, was named Business of the Year on Thursday, July 4 at Trinity Park, Ipswich, receiving the trophy from representatives of the awards’ joint main sponsors, EDF Energy and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce.
As in previous years, the overall title was a “winner of winners” accolade, open only to the businesses which won other awards announced earlier in the evening. Sackers qualfied by winning the Medium/Large Business of the Year award, sponsored by Larking Gowen.
Runner-up for the Business of the Year title was Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa, which won both the Family Business award, sponsored by Birketts, and the Business Broadband Initiative award, sponsored by the Suffolk Better Broadband Programme.
Third place overall went to the East of England Co-operative Society which won the Community Involvement award, sponsored by Adnams.
Among the honours for individuals, the award for Outstanding Achievement, sponsored by University Campus Suffolk went to Andy Wood, chairman of the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and chief executive of Adnams. Dr Wood was unable to attend the ceremony, with a presentation recorded in advance being shown on screen.
The audience listen to Laura Wright at the ceremony
The Director of the Year title, sponsored by New Anglia LEP, was won by Richard Anscombe, chief executive of AtlasFram Group, while the Young Business Person award, sponsored by Suffolk New College, went to Cara Miller of Miller Wash Associates.
Among the other corporate awards, the Small Business of the Year title, sponsored by the EADT, went to React Computer Partnership and the One to Watch category, sponsored by NWES, was won by Scour Prevention Systems.
The winner of the Food and Farming Excellence award, sponsored by Suffolk Agricultural Association, was Elveden Farms while the award for Environment and Sustainability, sponsored by Anglian Water and Wild Anglia, was won by Abbeycroft Leisure.
EADT Editor Terry Hunt (l) with David Dodds, Chris Oliver, Adrian Dodds and Nigel Slinn of Sackers Recycling who won Business of the Year
Bennett Homes won the Customer Care award, sponsored by Greater Anglia, and the Health and Wellbeing at Work category, sponsored by Healthy Ambitions, was won by H G Gladwell.
Finally, the Community Safety and Crime Prevention award, sponsored by the Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner, was won by Ipswich Central.
The ceremony was hosted by BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Terry Baxter, with entrepreneur Scott Russell as guest speaker and singer Laura Wright providing pre-dinner entertainment.
