Tag Archive for: Wimbledon Bookfest

Multiple Wins for Wimbledon at Food & Culture Awards 2022

A huge congratulations to the 17 businesses in Wimbledon Town Centre, who have received shining recognition in Time & Leisure’s Food & Culture Awards 2022, putting Wimbledon firmly on the map as a destination for dining, cultural events and theatres. 

This year marked the 10th year of the Time & Leisure Food & Culture awards, which are dedicated to celebrating world-class food, drink and culture in South West London and Surrey, as well as recognising the talented and passionate people who make up our hospitality and arts industries.

Over 10,000 votes were cast and ambassadors for this year’s awards included top chefs Adam Byatt and Marcus Wareing. Amongst the many local businesses nominated, five venues across Wimbledon Town Centre were winners in their categories. Hailed for their authentic Persian dishes, Diba won both ‘Local Restaurant Of The Year’ and ‘Best Delivery/Takeaway’.

 

Diba – winners of Local Restaurant Of The Year and Best Delivery/Takeaway awards

 

Lively local The Alexandra was awarded ‘Best Pub’ for its commitment to the community – namely its free Christmas dinner for anyone who would usually be alone on Christmas Day. Wimbledon Bookfest were winners of ‘Cultural Experience of the Year’ for delivering incredible live events with top guest speakers, despite the constraints of the pandemic, and New Wimbledon Theatre won ‘Favourite Entertainment Venue’.

 

New Wimbledon Theatre – winners of Favourite Entertainment Venue award

 

“We are thrilled to win this and to be nominated for Cultural Experience of the Year and Favourite Theatre Show after what has been such a difficult couple of years for our industry. We are so pleased the local community have supported and returned to the theatre, as us we reopened and brought the theatrical sparkle back to SW19.”

– New Wimbledon Theatre

 

Love Wimbledon sponsored the ‘Wimbledon Town Centre People’s Choice’ award, which was won by Leon, the health-conscious food group that impressed readers. Lebanese restaurant Grilandia followed closely behind as the highly commended choice, with Polka Theatre, CMYK bar and Diba also being commended. Other businesses recommended in this category included Dip & Flip, Kokoro, Lu-Ma Café, The Alexandra and Bills.

We are delighted to see so many of our local businesses in Wimbledon recognised for their excellence by the community, and hope that more people are encouraged to explore the best of their neighbourhood, trying out local favourites across the town and high street.

See the full list of winners here.

Merton Best Business Award-Winners 2021

After a one-year break, over 200 local business people gathered yesterday evening, 1st December, for the Merton Best Business Awards (MBBA) at the prestigious All England Tennis Club.

The MBBAs were redesigned for 2021 to recognise the challenges faced by businesses during the pandemic. A range of new categories and an easier application process attracted the highest ever number of applications in the Awards’ nine-year history – testament to the resilience and determination of Merton’s businesses in the face of such difficult operating conditions.

Helen Clark Bell, CEO of Love Wimbledon, said:

‘It was a brilliant evening and great to see businesses recognised for their resilience and celebrating together in person after a tough couple of years.’

 

Lu-Ma Café

Love Wimbledon BID business, Lu-Ma Café, scored a hat trick, coming away with category awards for ‘Star of the Year’ and ‘In the Face of Adversity’, and were crowned Overall Winner while Wimbledon Bookfest took home the ‘Arts & Culture’ award.

Wimbledon Bookfest

The Polka Theatre, The Wimbledon Group and Finling Associates Ltd were runners up for the ‘In the Face of Adversity’, ‘Arts & Culture’ and ‘Best Innovation and Customer Focus’ awards respectively.

A full list of winners and runners-up can be found on the Merton Best website here.

Love Wimbledon were proud to be gold sponsors of this event and sponsored the ‘In the Face of Adversity Award’, recognising business resilience over the last 18 months.

Merton Best Business Awards: Applications Open

The Merton Best Business Awards have officially launched with new award categories celebrating the business heroes of the pandemic.

The 2021 Merton Best Business Awards launched yesterday at Wimbledon BookFest, as Merton’s business owners gathered to reflect on their experiences of the past 18 months.

Diana Sterck, CEO of Merton Chamber of Commerce and the organiser of the MBBAs, announced a new set of award categories that will shine a light on the organisations, teams and individuals who have survived, revived and thrived against the unique challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Newly created awards include:

  • ‘Team Spirit’: to recognise how people have pulled together to propel their business forward;
  • ‘Leader of the Year’ and ‘Star of the Year’: to recognise those who showed guidance, strength and leadership to their colleagues despite difficult circumstances
  • ‘Arts & Culture’ award: for organisations in the creative arts industry, many of which were unable to operate for many months
  • ‘Best for Innovation and Customer Focus’: for businesses that have put their customers first throughout
  • ‘Retail Award’: for independent retailers who were able to react and adapt to survive

Members of the public will have a chance to vote for their favourite hospitality business, but this year they will also be asked to nominate their Local Business Hero – a business that has gone above and beyond during the pandemic, despite the circumstances.

Love Wimbledon will be sponsoring the ‘In The Face of Adversity’ award category.

Diana Sterck, CEO of Merton Chamber of Commerce, said:

“These new award categories will demonstrate the incredible resourcefulness and resilience of Merton’s businesses in the face of unprecedented challenge. Applying for an MBBA is the ideal way to show the world just how proud you are of your company and your team, and we encourage everyone to take part so that we can celebrate together. I can’t wait to hear the stories of how Merton’s businesses have survived, revived and thrived this year.”

Applications are open now and we encourage businesses in Wimbledon Town Centre to apply here before the application deadline on 29th October.

Merton Best Business Awards Launch

Join Merton Chamber of Commerce and Merton’s business community at Wimbledon BookFest for the official launch of the 2021 Merton Best Business Awards.

Thursday 16th September, 3.30pm – 5pm on Wimbledon Common.

 

This year’s free launch event is the perfect opportunity to meet the award sponsors and past winners, network with other business owners and find out how to apply for this year’s awards.  The theme of this year’s awards is ‘Survive, Revive and Thrive’, to recognise the courage and resilience of Merton’s business community through these challenging times.

New categories will shine a light on the resilience, ingenuity and courage of Merton’s business community – with awards for entrepreneurship, team spirit, climate action and leadership in the face of adversity. Love Wimbledon will be sponsoring the ‘In the Face of Adversity Award’.

There will also be a public vote for Merton’s Business Hero and Best Hospitality Business of the Year – with a focus on how these businesses have adapted during the pandemic.

Join this afternoon of reflection, inspiration and reconnection as businesses share stories of the past year and look ahead to the future in Merton.

The event is FREE, but please register your attendance by emailing us on events@mertonchamber.co.uk

Merton Best Business Awards are Back

Merton Chamber of Commerce have announced that the Merton Best Business Awards (MBBAs) are back for 2021.

After a year like no other, the 2021 MBBAs are back to recognise and celebrate Merton’s incredible business community. A new set of award categories has been designed to reflect the journey that businesses have been on: to recognise flexibility and resilience, and to celebrate their achievements against the odds.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant that many businesses faced ongoing challenges throughout 2020, and despite the cancellation of the Merton Best Business Awards last year, Merton Chamber of Commerce believe that there is a great deal to reflect upon and to celebrate in 2021. Businesses in Merton – and the people in our community – have shown incredible resilience over the past 18 months, constantly adapting to survive this particular storm. The 2021 Merton Best Business Awards will seek to recognise that.

Government guidance permitting, the 2021 Merton Best Business Awards will launch in September as part of Bookfest on Wimbledon Common. The outdoor location and extended space will allow for the involvement of sponsors, past award winners and Merton businesses, for an evening of reflection and inspiration, as they share stories of the past year and consider what comes next.

Diana Sterck, CEO of Merton Chamber of Commerce, commented:

“Over the past 8 years, the Merton Best Business Awards have become a key event in the business calendar. I’m delighted that we are able to bring them back for 2021, so that we can give our business community a moment to reflect after a very tough year. If you’ve never entered the awards before, now is the perfect time to do so – there will be a new set of award categories, and we’re making the application process as simple as possible so that everyone can be involved. We’ve come through so much together – let’s celebrate that.”

Applications for the new award categories will open later in the year but businesses can register their interest now by emailing awards@mertonchamber.co.uk.

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