Gloucestershire is a great place to do business and for the last 25 years, the Gloucestershire Live Business Awards have epitomised that innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.
The awards celebrate theirwith the continuing, magnificent support from lead sponsor and accountants, Randall & Payne. They have been the lead sponsor for the last 12 years, and have seen their business grow tremendously.
put down a big marker as a firm when they moved to their present offices on Shurdington Road, near Cheltenham, from Rodborough near Stroud.
And at the same time, they decided to invest in the Business Awards sponsorship which was to become their key marketing tool.
Managing partner, Tim Watkins, shared with me that the firm had needed to change, and supporting the awards had been a springboard to increased business from throughout the county.
Accountants as a profession are not generally seen as in any way flamboyant. But over the years, at the awards night, the Randall & Payne team has provided us with some hilarious video sketches.
鈥淚 hope our videos for the awards night have added some lightness to the proceedings鈥, said Tim. 鈥淭he staff now look forward to making the videos, and I hope they help to dispel the idea that accountants can be rather dull.
鈥淲e are very much looking forward to making the 25th anniversary video - it鈥檚 a lot of fun. You can go to any accountants and get the same sort of service, but we are of a size, with 60 people and eight partners, to give a very personal service.鈥
From small beginnings 25 years ago, the Gloucestershire awards night has become the largest regional online and newspaper awards ceremony for business. Over the years, I have seen many Gloucestershire businesses experience amazing growth, encouraged by winning one of these awards.
This is a county of all talents, and we have always tried to ensure that all these different talents have been reflected in the winners of all the categories.
Pride is the essence of the awards. To walk up and receive an award in front of as many as 800 people at The Centaur at Cheltenham Race Course is spine-tingling.
This year鈥檚 25th anniversary awards are on Thursday, October 12, and to get tickets, visit the event website at
*Ian Mean MBE is the Gloucestershire director of Business West and former editor-in-chief of the Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo and the Western Daily Press.
Business West - celebrating 200 years of success
Business West has given voice to, supported, and lobbied on behalf of businesses since 1823.
It exists to create long-term prosperity for our businesses and our region so companies can grow, innovate and export and also tackles challenging business issues on behalf of organisations - delivering tangible results.
Gloucestershire's companies are ambitious, entrepreneurial and fiercely passionate about their work - and so is Business West. Which is why it equips them with the support and tools to fulfil their potential and turn their vision into reality. Everything it does contributes to making our region the best place to live, work, learn and prosper.
In 2021, Business West became a Certified B Corp. In other words, it meets exacting standards of verified social and environmental performance, balancing profit and purpose, which makes it well placed to advise the businesses of the future, as well as lending credibility to its message that business can be a force for good.
As part of its celebrating 鈥200 years of future thinking鈥, Business West is sponsoring the Growth Award at this year's . To find out more about Business West, visit
