The 2019 Swale Business Awards Launch At Shepherd Neame On 26th March

Written by Wesley Horan on 26th February 2019

Following on from the historic amount of entries into last year’s awards; the 2019 Swale Business Awards will begin accepting entries from 26th March.

This will be the thirteenth annual Swale Business Awards, which aims to celebrate the best and brightest businesses that Faversham, Sheppey and Sittingbourne have to offer.

The awards will officially launch on 26th March to coincide with a launch event taking place at Shepherd Neame’s Old Brewery Store from 16:30. This event will feature a keynote speech from The Bank of England’s Phil Eckersley and will include a delicious range of hot food and drink pairings from Shepherd Neame, and the opportunity to tour the historic brewery.

“I have been involved with the Swale Business Awards for a number of years now, and it is incredible to see how the awards have gone from strength-to-strength,” Brian Carey, Chair of the Awards and partner at UHY Hacker Young commented. “What has impressed me every year is the extremely high-quality of businesses in Swale. We have such a diverse selection of businesses operating here and each year we discover even more hidden gems that are based in the borough. There really is nothing stopping a business from entering the awards, it doesn’t matter if you have 100 employees or are a sole trader.”

To be eligible to enter the awards, businesses will need to have been trading for a minimum of twelve months on 30th June, which is also the date that the 2019 awards will close for entries.

Last year’s winner of the coveted title of Swale Business of the Year was Unipet International, who have made the decision to sponsor the 2019 awards. Jason Davies-Baker, Unipet’s Operations Director, described the feeling of winning the 2018 award as “absolutely fantastic.” He followed up with advice for businesses thinking about entering the award this year: “Focus on what makes your business really stand out from the crowd, thinking about what you bring to the local community and your key strengths, whether it be a fantastic team or a strong customer base.”

Joining Unipet International as sponsors are C & D Logistics South East, CS One Design, Enterprise Centres, George Webb Finn, Invicta Financial Group, Kent Event Centre, Kent Science Park, Shepherd Neame, Swale Borough Council, Thomson Snell & Passmore, UHY Hacker Young, University of Greenwich and William Whitmey Independent Funeral Directors.

The Principal sponsors of the Swale Business Awards are once again Handelsbanken, who are sponsoring for their fifth consecutive year, and Swale Means Business, who are sponsoring for their third.

If you would like to attend the launch event, you can book your free tickets here. Those wishing to enter the awards can do so via this website from 26th March.