In its fourth year, the Newham Business Awards, organised by Newham Chamber of Commerce, celebrate organisations that operate in Newham. The glittering gala ceremony gets a little bigger each year and it’s fair to say – from special guest Frank Bruno MBE keeping everyone entertained to a very moving speech from Paul Kavanagh founder of Knives Down Gloves Up – this was the most memorable event yet and we were proud to be a part of it…
A big night for Newham
The event took the form of a black-tie presentation dinner at Stratford Old Town Hall. Around 250 guests from local businesses attended the chandelier-lit hall and, along with them, we had a three-course meal, were entertained by the brilliant Frank Bruno MBE – whose famous booming laugh could be heard across the room – and cheered on local businesses during the presentations. We were proud to be involved in rebranding the Newham Business Awards last year and this year we again created and supplied all the event materials which received many positive comments.
Celebrating local businesses
We shared our table with the lovely Kojo and Will from Street Food Markets who won the Sole/Micro Trader of the Year award, sponsored by London City Airport. It was also fantastic to see our Waterfront Studios neighbour Vivek Nandha of VNY Security win Young Entrepreneur of the Year, which was sponsored by Newham London. We also had the honour of sponsoring the E-Business of the Year Award which was presented to Pure Jewels who also won the Best Innovation in Business award. And we were delighted to see our client Good Hotel win the Business of the Year award for its social enterprise work supporting people facing long-term unemployment. Photos from the night and all the fantastic winners can be viewed via Newham Chamber of Commerce’s Twitter feed.
Knives Down Gloves Up
As well as the celebrations there was a respectful element to the night. Tragically 15-year-old Baptista Adjei was fatally stabbed on the evening the awards were originally scheduled to take place. Paul Kavanagh, founder of charity Knives Down Gloves Up gave a moving speech about the impact of gang and knife related crime on victims and their loved-ones and the incredible work his organisation was doing to combat this with early intervention, bonds between local communities and amateur boxing and martial arts clubs, family support, gang member exit strategies and mentoring. Without donations, sponsorship and funding, Knives Down Gloves Up could not continue to do the work they do and save countless lives in the process. To find out more, watch the heart-breaking account of one victim’s story by his mother and get involved visit the Knives Down Gloves Up website.
You don’t have to be based in Newham to get involved in the Newham Business Awards – if you work with clients in Newham you are also eligible to enter (which is quick and free). We hope that you will join us next year in celebrating local businesses and championing local causes. In the meantime, if you’d like to connect more with the local business community, come along to one of the Newham Chamber meetings. And don’t forget, if you need branding and materials to promote your event or give your night a professional look, call our experienced team on 0208 590 0922 or email us at info@marcomedia.co.uk