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A housing and employment support service firm has been named team of the year at the annual Solihull BID Excellence Awards.

Advance Employment works on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions and is responsible for the Work Choice programme in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.

The scheme helps disabled people who want to get into work and judges described Advance Employment as a "really motivated team who are absolutely passionate about what they do".

The panel was impressed with the engagement the whole team had with potential employers and how they continued to work with people once when they were placed in employment to monitor progress.

The Excellence Awards are run by Solihull Business Improvement District and celebrate companies and individuals across eight categories.

Other winners included apprentice of the year Omar Naeem from Sky Retail, Mad Hatter's children's charity was named best fundraising project and Phoebus Software scooped outstanding innovation.

Melanie Palmer, director of Solihull BID, said: "We have 472 businesses within an area of less than two square miles that are bursting at the seams with qualities that make us the best place to do business in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ.

"These awards continue to prove what a hotbed Solihull town centre is for business stars of the future and showcase our broad variety of sectors and skills."