Ocean Adventurers in Cheddar wins South West Start-Up Business of the Year award

A small business from Cheddar has been chosen as among the best in the West at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Celebrating Small Business Awards 2020 held in Taunton this week. 

The South West finals of the national FSB contest took place at Somerset County Cricket Ground on Wednesday and eight firms from the county were shortlisted for the awards which featured companies from as far apart as the Forest of Dean and the Isles of Scilly.   

Cheddar-based soft play centre Ocean Adventurers scooped the highly-competitive FSB South West Start-Up Business of the Year award.

Laura Filer, the director from Ocean Adventurers who have only been up and running since last summer, said she was thrilled to win the FSB award. 

"We are so excited as this is the first award we have won," she said.

"The staff will be overwhelmed to be recognised after all the hard work of the past nine months." 

Also shortlisted for an award was Cheddar's Pretty Sitting Upholstery and Interiors Ltd.

Lee Nathan, the FSB regional chairman for the South West, said the diversity and strength of the region's small business community was perfectly illustrated at the awards.

"It was a fantastic day which showed the amazing range of small businesses we have in the South West," he said.

"More people than ever entered our awards this time and we would urge all the small businesses in the South West to follow their example and take part next year to make it an even bigger and better celebration of the small business community."  

The full list for the South West area FSB Celebrating Small Business Award winners for 2020 is:

Business and Product Innovation Award

Pure Punjabi Ltd (Salisbury, Wiltshire)

International Business of the Year

Total Renewable Solutions SW Ltd (Ilminster, Somerset)

Start-Up Business of the Year

Refresh Cartridges (Torquay, Devon)

Micro Business of the Year

The 25 Boutique B & B (Torquay, Devon)

High Growth Business of the Year

Excalibur Communications (Swindon, Wiltshire)

Community Award

Oliver Bruce of PinPoint Media (Cheltenham, Gloucestershire)

The South West final is one of 12 regional finals place across the UK taking place until March.