• Swindon & Wiltshire Awards
• Tuesday March 5 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Bristol, Bath and Wiltshire firms reach finals of FSB Awards

An all-female creative agency from Bristol, an event space in Wiltshire, and an orchestra in Bath are all through to the national finals of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Celebrating Small Business Awards.

Imagineerium in Bristol, Bath Philharmonia, and Parade House, Trowbridge were all named winners of the South West regional finals this week. They will now go on to compete in the national finals in May.

Natasha Mortimer of Imagineerium was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The experiential design agency “turn spaces into engaging and unforgettable worlds”. In just three years the managing director has established the all-female business on the global stage and defined its reputation as a powerhouse of innovation and creativity.

Her portfolio includes work with major stages and areas for Boomtown and Glastonbury, and she is working with brands such as Formula 1, Clarks Originals and Redbull.

Parade House, Trowbridge has been named Start Up Business of the Year. The Grade 1 property was rescued from dereliction and has now turned into a thriving business. With beautiful meeting rooms, an original sweeping staircase and a grand ballroom, it is available to hire for events and received the Town Enhancement Award from the Mayor of Trowbridge in 2023.

And Bath Philharmonia has won the Community Business Award. The orchestra’s work with local residents, local communities and young people across the region has been recognised in recent years through local creative industries awards and national music sector bodies.

The twelve category winners from the South West finals will receive their awards at the FSB South West Bootcamp in Exeter on March 13 before representing the region at the national final in Blackpool in May.

Sam Holliday, the FSB development manager for Gloucestershire and the West of England, said: “I was fortunate enough to see a lot of the entries as they came in and I was genuinely staggered at the variety and quality across every sector I looked up.

Ruth Lambert, the FSB development manager for Wiltshire and Somerset, added: “It was clear that any business that emerged with a title from such an incredibly strong field of candidates must have something really special about them.

“Fingers crossed they also add a national title to their regional one as well.”

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