This award was very much welcomed and was particularly poignant as TVP was facing closure earlier this year, and was saved by the support of new and existing funders.

Monica Tyler, Chief Executive said:  ‘Staff and volunteers have worked very hard this past year to continue the work of the charity, therefore it is with great pride and enthusiasm that we collect this award, as it is a testament to our commitment  to serve local  communities in Merton, Sutton and parts of Surrey.  This demonstrates that our work is making a positive impact on people’s lives and the environment.  In these economic times, like most local charities, TVP continues to face financial challenges and appealing for donations is an ongoing process however awards such these can help to strengthen our appeal to funders and supporters and for this we are eternally grateful!’

The Vine Project provides a valuable reuse and recycling service for local people across Sutton, Merton and parts of Surrey diverting household items that would otherwise be sent to landfill.  Local people in these areas can contact the Vine and donate unwanted furniture and household items.  These items are then made available to low income individuals and families who require furniture.  The charity also runs a supported volunteer programme providing opportunities for work based and accredited training for the long term unemployed priority is given to people with learning disabilities, mental health illnesses and adults recovering from addiction.  This past year the Vine Project has provided volunteering opportunities for more than 100 local people.

Anyone interested in volunteering, donating furniture, accessing handyperson services or making a donation should contact: 020 8685 6640.

“We love the work we do, and we’ve won awards for our projects before, but this is the first time we’ve been recognised as a company, and it’s fantastic,” said Gary Elliott, who received the prestigious honour in front of more than 240 businessmen and women at the Gala Awards Ceremony held at Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis Club on Wednesday, September 21^st.

The packed audience at the ceremony, organised by South London Business in association with WSM Advisors Ltd, heard from WSM Advisor’s director Simon Marsh how the judges had chosen Elliott Wood Partnership LLP as the overall winner for its ‘excellent service to customers with an imaginative yet personal approach; impressive staff relations and high level of social responsibility.’

The practice, which had earlier won Best Medium Sized Business sponsored by the Career Development Group and had been short-listed for Best Employer, has around 65 staff across its offices in Wimbledon, central London and Nottingham, and their specialist work includes complex projects in regeneration, large scale residential, commercial, healthcare, education and leisure throughout the UK and beyond.

The runner-up was local estate agency Samuel Estates, which scooped two awards – Best Business for Marketing and Best Small Business for 2011, for the second year running, in recognition of their dynamic leadership, solid business plan and innovative marketing plans.

Its director Nick Samuel said he was delighted his business had won the Best Small Business category two years in a row as well as Marketing, and he would be aiming for Best Medium Sized business next year.

The awards have been developed by South London Business, Merton Council, and Merton Chamber of Commerce, in order to reward and celebrate the many dynamic and innovative businesses in the borough. They were supported by a number of major businesses in the borough, including WSM Advisors Ltd, Barclays Bank PLC, Box 2, Careers Development Group, Morrisons Solicitors LLP, Vinci Construction UK Ltd, Wimbledon Village Association, Wimbledon Guardian and XpertHR.

Opening the ceremony, South London Business’ chairman Sir Bob Scott, said: “I am proud that SLB have been able to organise these awards to celebrate the excellent businesses, both large and small, which generate prosperity in Merton and produce jobs.  We know that it is the business community that will lead us out of the current economic challenges and the companies here tonight are in the forefront of business development and job creation.”

Photographer Julia Boggio was delighted to be honoured as Entrepreneur of the Year, back at the helm of her business just 17 weeks after giving birth to her first child, while Best New Business winners were IT consultants, TechQuarters, whose business has grown to eight staff and is in profit just 18 months after launch. Its director, Chris Dunning, said he had been inspired by attending the 2010 Merton Business Awards where the winning businesses had given him the drive to grow further.

Other winners on the night were Italian restaurant Piccolino, which received the Wimbledon Village Award for Customer Service, the Chartered Institure for Personnel and Development (CIPD) which won Best Business for Training and Development, The Vine Project, honoured for its Commitment to the Community , Wimbledon Village Stables, which won Best Business for Hospitality and Leisure and Edit Optimisation, which won Best Employer.

More information on the award winners can be found at: www.mertonbusinessawards.co.uk

Best New Business winners TechQuarters Alex Sepahi and Chris Dunning thanked the Merton Business Awards 2010 and headline sponsor WSM Advisors Ltd for helping to give them the drive to grow their business.

“I have Microsoft awards on my wall, but this is the best,” said Chris. “I sat here last year as a guest and hearing all the business stories inspired me to go forward. We are a year and a half old now, with eight staff and in profit.  It’s fantastic.”

The award was presented by Jon Wilson from Xpert HR who said TechQuarters had “married real business confidence during these difficult times, with a desire to deliver excellent service and value to their customers. As a result, they are growing rapidly, not only their revenue but also the number of people they employ.”

 More information about the awards can be found at: www.mertonbusinessawards.co.uk

Accepting the Merton Entrepreneur of the Year award just 17 weeks after giving birth to her first child, photographer Julia Boggio thanked her husband and employee Kate ‘who had answered all my prayers’ by supporting her in running her business.

Malcolm Martin from Morrisons said: “The winner has proved to be versatile in adapting their business model to deal with changes in the commercial environment and personal circumstances. The winner has diversified their range of services but retained the essential brand and continues to recognise opportunities.”

The innovative use of being Merton Best Small Business in 2010 for marketing purposes helped to scoop the Best Business for Marketing award for Samuel Estates in 2011.

Accepting the award, Paul Ahearn, said: “We used winning the award last year in our marketing and realised the value of marketing – so we got ourselves a mascot, Sam the Dog, who comes with us on campaigns.”

Presented by David Boyer who said: “Already a winner in 2010 this company demonstrated why it continues to be successful in 2011. The judges were impressed not only by the skilful way its success last year was incorporated into marketing campaigns but also by the innovative and unique marketing strategy adopted this year to help the business grow during this challenging period.”

‘Being a good employer makes  good  business sense,’ was the message from Sanjay Shelat of Edit Optimisation which won the Best Employer Award

“It’s not just about being altruistic,” said Sanjay. “It makes business sense as well; if you look after your employees they like their work and work well – and it makes for a great place for you to work as well.”

The award was presented Jon Wilson of XpertHR who praised Edit Optimisation for” a truly impressive mission to develop the skills, talents and passions of their people, and in so doing have created an inspiring place to come and work. Their people feel valued, rewarded and supported which ultimately feeds through to their customers too.”

The award for was presented by Russell Payne of Vinci Facilities who said of Wimbledon Village Stables that “they understand the benefits of mixing good business within its community. They operate a sustainable business in the region which positively impacts on the local economy and truly gives the customer what they desire within their neighbourhood; which is demonstrated through their excellent customer testimonials”. Caroline Stevenson and Carol Andrews accepted the award on behalf of Wimbledon Village Stables and thanked their team.

“We are part of the community and put the community at the heart of everything we do,” said Wimbledon Guardian Assistant Editor Paul Cahalan, as he presented the award, “and the Vine Project impressed the judges with their commitment, passion and hard work to support Merton and its residents.

The award was accepted by The Vine Project’s CEO Monica Tyler and its chairman Alex Davies who said: “This is a huge honour for us as a local charity, serving our local community. We want to thank our staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to serve our community in which we live.”

Receiving the award for Best Business for Training and Development, Lisa Sarjeant of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said: “We are very proud to receive this award – we support nearly 300 staff locally. We have been an Investor in People since 1996 and are proud of that and the way we work with the local community.”

Presenting the award, Russell Payne, from Vinci Facilities said: “This company has had a positive affect on the local and wider community which in turn impacts on the local economy, standard of its personnel and the attractiveness of the region for businesses.

Wimbledon Village Italian restaurant Piccolino was honoured for its customer service. Presenting the award, Richard Hunter from the Wimbledon Village Business Association, said: “We particularly liked their commitment to outstanding service and we felt their enthusiasm to go beyond the ‘call of duty’ was second to none.”

Dean Fawcett from Piccolino thanked his team, saying: “without them I wouldn’t be here.”