Herefordshire Business Awards 2026 - Celebrating the Best of Herefordshire Business
What an incredible evening!
On Friday 16th October, we welcomed businesses, entrepreneurs, charities and community leaders from across the county to the beautiful Lyde Court for the Herefordshire Business Awards 2026.
Organised by Herefordshire Means Business and powered by allpay Limited, the evening was all about celebrating the fantastic businesses and people who make Herefordshire such a brilliant place to live and work.
And what a celebration it was!
An Evening of Celebration
The evening began with a drinks reception and canapés, kindly sponsored by CY Group. It was lovely to see so many familiar faces, welcome new ones and watch everyone making connections and enjoying the atmosphere before the awards began.
Our Operations Director, Colita Dainton, officially welcomed everyone and thanked our sponsors, judges, finalists and supporters for helping make the evening possible.
We were delighted to welcome back ITV presenter Matt Teale as our host, who once again did a fantastic job of keeping the evening running smoothly, bringing plenty of humour and making everyone feel part of the celebrations.
Recognising Herefordshire's Incredible Businesses
Every year, we're amazed by the quality of entries we receive, and 2026 was certainly no exception, with a record number of entries our judges definitely had their work cut out.
From new businesses finding their feet to established companies continuing to grow, inspiring individuals, innovative ideas and charities making a real difference, this year's finalists demonstrated just how much talent and skill we have here in Herefordshire.
Among the winners were On|form Wellness Club, taking home New Business of the Year, Astute Graphics Limited, winning Small Business of the Year, and Elgar Care Ltd, crowned Medium to Large Business of the Year.
PintPod Limited celebrated winning Entrepreneur of the Year, while Wing It received the Customer Service Provider of the Year award.
We also celebrated some fantastic individuals, including Jane Kibble from Loo of the Year Awards Ltd, who won Employee of the Year, and Jamie Perkins-Best from Environmental Management Solutions, who was named Business Leader of the Year.
One of the particularly special moments of the evening was seeing Herefordshire Young and Young Adult Carers CIC receive Charity or Social Enterprise of the Year, recognising the important work they do within our community.
Our Outstanding Achievement Award went to Clare Donagan Military Art who joined us live from New York, another wonderful moment in an evening full of well-deserved recognition.
Of course, while we love seeing our winners take to the stage, these awards are about so much more than trophies. Every business that entered, every finalist and every highly commended business deserves to feel incredibly proud of what they've achieved.
Then It Was Time to Celebrate!
Once the awards had been presented, it was time to enjoy the rest of the evening, and The Hey Yahs certainly didn't disappoint!
Their fantastic live performance brought so much energy to the room, with guests dancing, singing along and making the most of a brilliant night.
A huge thank you to The Hey Yahs for helping us finish the evening in style.
Congratulations to Our 2026 Winners!
New Business of the Year
On|form Wellness Club
Small Business of the Year
Astute Graphics Limited
Highly Commended: Gravitas Medical Solutions Limited
Medium to Large Business of the Year
Elgar Care Ltd
Highly Commended: Beech House Nursery School
Employer of the Year
Goodridge Electrical Contractors Ltd
Highly Commended: The Smallest Cog
Employee of the Year
Jane Kibble – Loo of the Year Awards Ltd
Retailer of the Year
sassy
Business Leader of the Year
Jamie Perkins-Best – Environmental Management Solutions
Customer Service Provider of the Year
Wing It
Highly Commended: Holmer Park Spa & Health Club
Sustainable Business of the Year
Chalford Group Herefordshire Ltd
Professional Services Business of the Year
Provals – Probate Support and Valuation Services
Highly Commended: Thrings
Family Business of the Year
Westcom Business Communications Ltd
Highly Commended: Hereford Gymnastics CIC
Creative Business of the Year
The Courtyard Trust
Innovator of the Year
Blue Sky Botanics Ltd
Highly Commended: Astute Graphics Limited
Charity or Social Enterprise of the Year
Herefordshire Young and Young Adult Carers CIC
Entrepreneur of the Year
PintPod Limited
Food and Drink Producer of the Year
Peter Cooks Bread Ltd
Outstanding Achievement Award
Clare Donagan Military Art
A Huge Thank You!
Events like the Herefordshire Business Awards simply wouldn't be possible without the support of so many fantastic people and businesses.
Firstly, a huge thank you to our Powered By Sponsor, allpay Limited, for their continued support, and to CY Group for sponsoring our Drinks Reception.
A special thank you also goes to our wonderful Category Sponsors: Westcom Business Communications, EBC Group, Herefordshire Council, Marches LSIP, Belmont Abbey, Elgar Care, Kinder Accountants, Clear Branding, The Shell Store – Town Square Spaces, John Finch Computers, Westons Cider, Area Entertainments, Indelible IP, Sutcliffe & Co Insurance, Sunshine Radio and Visit Herefordshire.
And of course, a massive thank you to Wing It for sponsoring our fantastic host, Matt Teale, and SCG Wales and West for sponsoring the brilliant live entertainment from The Hey Yahs. Merica Radios provided us with wireless radios which helped the team behind the scenes to stay connected and communicating. The tables were dressed with Westons Cider, the most delicious Franks Luxury biscuits and Rewater keeping everyone hydrated. Plus, we mustn’t forget the amazing venue dressing with giant HMBiz lights and the sparkly disco ball wall courtesy of Love Leaf/Botanical weddings, Steph and her team always bring a bit of pizazz to our events – thank you to you all.
Your continued support means so much to us and plays a huge part in making the Herefordshire Business Awards possible. We're incredibly grateful to have so many fantastic local businesses and organisations getting behind the awards and helping us celebrate the achievements of our Herefordshire business community.
We really couldn't do it without you all, so thank you!
To our independent judges, thank you for the time, care and dedication you put into reviewing this year's entries. We know how much work goes into the judging process, and we really do appreciate it.
A big thank you also goes to Matt Teale for hosting, The Hey Yahs for the fantastic entertainment, Steve Nibblet Photography and Jo Davies Photography for capturing so many special moments, and everyone involved in bringing the evening together.
And finally, to every business that entered, every finalist, winner and highly commended business, and everyone who joined us on the night, thank you.
Here's to Another Year of Herefordshire Business Success!
As we celebrate ten years of Herefordshire Means Business in 2026, evenings like this remind us exactly why we do what we do.
Our business community is full of hardworking, passionate and talented people who support one another, celebrate each other's successes and help make Herefordshire such a special place to do business.
We're incredibly proud to be part of that community and to have the opportunity to bring everyone together.
Congratulations once again to all our 2026 winners and finalists. We can't wait to see what you achieve next!
Here's to the Herefordshire Business Awards 2027!