September 2019 - Business Improvement District

Merton Best Business Awards 2019: Celebrating Success

24 September 2019

Thursday 26 September at the All England Lawn Tennis Club

The Merton Best Business Awards showcase the diversity and range of what Merton businesses have to offer. The annual awards, organised by Merton Chamber of Commerce feature several new categories including Positive Workplace sponsored by Love Wimbledon. Whether small or large, high street or office, the Awards celebrate the best of the best in the borough.

This year we have an incredible 24 BID businesses as finalists across a range of industries from those in the Creative Sector to Enterprising Business, the positive impact of businesses in Wimbledon Town Centre continues to excel.

Three charities were shortlisted in categories including Culture, Top Woman in Business and Employer of the Year. Wimbledon Town Centre also has professional service businesses shortlisted in the Best Apprentice, Best New Business, Best Service Excellence and Positive Workplace categories.

Wimbledon eateries and pubs, from the independent and healthy eating concept of Lu- Ma to national brands such as Itsu, are all making an impact.

Whether for service or experience, Wimbledon continues to be a place of choice to work, to run a business or to visit. We wish all finalists the very best of luck and look forward to many Wimbledon businesses celebrating on Thursday evening.

Merton Best Business Awards: 2019 Finalists

Best Apprentice of the Year

TWM Solicitors
White Light Ltd

Best Customer Service

Coffee in the Wood
Esente Hair
Kerryanns Beauty
Prince of Wales
RyGas Ltd
Welter Brovine Hairdesigners

Best Employer of the Year

Esente Hair
Fayre & Square Wimbledon
SW19 Estate Agents Ltd

Best Enterprising Business

Arkenstone Wealth Management
Belderbos Landscapes
Fayre & Square Wimbledon
Finling Associates Limited
RyGas Ltd
stem4

Best in the Creative Sector

Belderbos Landscapes
Katja Nuutinen Couture
Polka Theatre
Rainbow Productions Ltd
Room Remedies
SANTORO
Taylor Alden
The Sing Space

Best Large Business

Domestic & General
Iglu.com
itsu

Best Medium Business

Gina Conway Aveda Salon & Spa
Merco Medical Staffing
SANTORO

Best New Business

Zéro
Cause Communications
Fitness Space Wimbledon
Lewis & Co
The Supply Room

Best Pub of the Year

All Bar One
Ganley’s Irish Bar
Prince of Wales
The Alexandra
The Hand & Racquet
The Old Frizzle

Best Restaurant of the Year

Aya Cuisine
Blue Junction
Lu-Ma Cafe
NYEAT
Pho
Sai Restaurant

Best Service Excellence

Figges Marsh Dental
Finling Associates Limited
Gina Conway Aveda Salon & Spa
SPS Timber Windows Limited
Swords Travel
The Alexandra
Wimbledon Leisure Centre and Spa
Wimbledon Village Stables

Best Small Business

Cullens Clearances Ltd
Liqui Liqui
Mystery Cube
Stronger Fitness and Martial Arts
Swords Travel
Voice At The Table

Entrepreneur of the Year

Blue Wave Swim School
Really Helpful Club
RyGas Ltd

Positive Workplace

Lu-Ma Cafe
Microbee Ltd
Peldon Rose
Skyline Whitespace

The Extra Mile

Cullens Clearances Ltd
Esente Hair
Izzytea Ltd
Kew House Care Home
Really Helpful Club
The Alexandra
Wimbledon Village Stables

Top Woman in Business

Ameeka – Figges Marsh Dental
Marjan Moosavi – Blue Wave Swim School
Charlotte Broadbent – Charlotte Loves
Tricia Cusden – Look Fabulous Forever
Julie Greenwood – Merco Medical Staffing Ltd
Dr Nihara Krause – stem4
Wendy Pridmore – Wimbledon Guild

Merton Best Business Awards Announce 2019 Finalists

See the 2018 BID Business Finalists

stem4 wins Digital Innovation of the Year

22 September 2019

Mental health charity, stem4 has won the Digital Innovation of the Year award at the prestigious Third Sector Awards for Calm Harm, a free app to help teenagers manage or resist the urge to self-harm.

The Third Sector Awards champion innovative and impactful campaigns and the Digital Innovation Award recognises a charity or social enterprise that is pushing the boundaries of digital technology to reach supporters, donors, or beneficiaries.

According to NHS Digital, 12 per cent of children between the ages of five and 19 present with self-harm. Dr Nihara Krause, a consultant clinical psychologist and expert in self-harm, created the Calm Harm app using ideas from evidence-based therapy Dialectical Behavioural Therapy. The app uses a range of targeted five or 15-minute activities to help alter thoughts, emotions and behaviours, supporting young people to “ride the wave” of emotion they experience. The activities come under four headings: Distract, Comfort, Express Yourself and Release, while a breathing technique helps to reduce symptoms of anxiety. The app also helps users start to understand the underlying trigger factors, allows them to track their progress and signposts them to further help.

The app has been downloaded more than 927,000 times in about 171 countries, with 590,499 people using it more than once. 93% of users have reported a reduction in the urge to self-harm after completing an activity.

On receiving the Award Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, CEO and founder of stem4 said:

This award recognises the important work stem4 do in providing evidence based mental health apps which are clinician led but developed co-collaboratively with young people and data driven for effectiveness. We are pleased to be able to offer young people an effective form of symptoms management and signpost them to help. We are very appreciative, especially as a small charity, that the work we do is recognised and celebrated by the Third Sector Awards.

stem4 is a Wimbledon based, award winning charity that supports teenage mental health through mental health promotion, provides evidence based mental health education, builds resilience, enhances motivation to change and signposts to early intervention. stem4focuses on commonly occurring mental health issues in teenagers including eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-harm and addiction.

stem4works with students, parents and teachers in secondary schools as well as health professionals including GPs and school nurses through their conferences programme and their digitally delivered workshops suitable for PHSE in schools and is included in the Royal College of GP toolkit.

For more details please visit stem4.

T&L Food and Culture Awards 2019 RESULTS

30 September 2019

Wimbledon businesses have had a run of success at the high profile South West London awards – The Time and Leisure Food and Culture Awards.

The public voted in their thousands for their favourite food and culture venues across South West London and Surrey, and following a record breaking five figure total of votes cast, over 20 Wimbledon hot-spots were finalists.

We are so proud to see so many of our Wimbledon businesses represented and there is no better validation than that of your customers. BTW did we mention Love Wimbledon’s Winter Wonderland was commended!

We had winners in:
Best Newcomer – 601 Queens Road
The Tony Kane Best Cultural Experience – Wimbledon BookFest
Performing Arts Venue of the Year – New Wimbledon Theatre
Best Eating Experience in Wimbledon Town Centre – Diba

Our other businesses that excelled with commendations:
Little Greece, Love Wimbledon Market – Best Eating Experience in Wimbledon Town Centre
CMYK – Best Night Out

As well as: Sticks n Sushi, The Alex, Bill’s, Polka Theatre and Wimbledon Winter Wonderland.

Merton Best Business Awards 2019 RESULTS

27 September 2019

Last night many businesses within the BID excelled at the Merton Best Business Awards 2019 held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. With 33 finalists across 16 categories, we celebrated with 7 Love Wimbledon BID businesses winning in their categories and 10 as runners up. An extraordinary achievement.

Helen Clark Bell, CEO of Love Wimbledon said ‘This reflects the variety of businesses we have in the town centre and how they continue to develop and reach for growth.

‘We are really proud there are so many award winning businesses in Merton and in Wimbledon Town Centre, from popular eateries, energetic start-ups to national HQs doing things differently. We wish them every success as we do with all businesses in the borough.’

Overall Winner

Gina Conway Aveda Salon & Spa