Businesses basked in the glow of success after winning honours in Dorset’s most prestigious awards.

Winners were announced in 10 categories in a sparkling ceremony at the Dorset Business Awards

The celebration at the Hilton Hotel in Bournemouth was a fitting finale for this year’s Dorset Business Festival.

Ian Girling, chief executive of awards and festival organisers Dorset Chamber, said: “Congratulations to all of our very worthy winners.

“They richly deserve their success after standing out in a strong field of entries which showcased what an exceptional business community we have in Dorset.

“The awards were the perfect way to end our second annual Dorset Business Festival. Warmest thanks go to everyone who made the awards, and the business festival, such a phenomenal success and helped show why Dorset is such an outstanding place in which to work, live and do business.”

The roll call of winners is:

BEST NEW BUSINESS AWARD: Clarity Health Insurance.

BEST PLACE TO WORK: 4 Couture.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP AWARD: Streetwise HR.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AWARD: Farmer Palmer’s.

DIGITAL AND TECHNOLOGY AWARD: CrowdComms.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AWARD: Eco Sustainable Solutions.

EXPORT BUSINESS AWARD: The Silver Crane Company.

FUTURE LEADERS AWARD: David Burnet of Invidar.

SCALEUP AWARD: The Silver Crane Company.

SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD: Lewis-Manning Hospice Care.

Ian hosted the awards and chamber president Tony Brown closed the ceremony, which was followed by an after-party in the hotel’s panoramic Sky Bar.

The top ten winners were chosen by an independent panel of judges in the second Dorset Business Awards following a hiatus during Covid.

They were launched in April at Dorset County Museum in Dorchester with Premier Festival Partner Lester Aldridge and held during the chamber’s landmark 75th anniversary year.

The chamber is the leading business support organisation in Dorset and the county’s voice of business.

It has nearly 700 members representing 37,000 employees and a vision of ‘enabling better lives through business’.

As well as the awards, highlights of the business festival have included an expo attended by more than 500 delegates and a packed conference on the theme of ‘business as a force for good’.

The festival is supported by Premier Festival Partner Lester Aldridge and Festival Partners Blue Sky Financial Planning, Bournemouth and Poole College, Dorset Council, ElectriX and YMCA Bournemouth.