The best in business were honoured with top awards as the Winchester Business Excellence Awards returned on Thursday.

The annual awards scheme, which is organised in partnership with The Hampshire Chronicle, Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Winchester BID, took place at the University of Winchester.

The 2022 finalists were:

Business Leader

WINNER: Forte Kitchen and The Hatch - Naomi Beamish and Olly Biggs

They have faced many challenges in running a business and believe that staying positive is extremely important. They inspire their team through their training called ‘Service the Forte Kitchen way’. They also go in to work busy shifts with team members to not only support them but to identify how processes can be improved. They have clear objectives and financial goals and their tight control of finances and proactive leadership has seen them not only survive the pandemic but grow in it too.

Shortlisted: Arbor Call Ltd – Alison Lovejoy

Shortlisted: University of Winchester – Rev'd Professor Liz Stuart

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Business Leader Award winners Forte Kitchen and The Hatch - Naomi Beamish and Olly Biggs.

Charity & Social Enterprise

CHARITY WINNER: Winchester Youth Counselling (WYC)

A fantastic and much needed organisation which supports and champions the mental well being within the Winchester district

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Charity Award winner, Winchester Youth Counselling (WYC)

SOCIAL ENTERPRISE WINNER: Bespoke Biking

Bespoke Biking unites the hugely popular Handlebar Café on the water meadows and the innovative Bike Hub in the city centre in their mission to provide an ethical and accessible opportunity for everyone to cycle more in the Winchester area.

Hampshire Chronicle:

Shortlisted: Citizens Advice Winchester District

Shortlisted: Street Reach

Digital Innovation

WINNER: Blue Apple Theatre

Blue Apple Theatre is a Winchester based charity that changes the lives of adults and young people with learning disabilities through the arts.

Shortlisted: Experience Hampshire

Shortlisted: The Perfect Assistant

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Digital Innovation Award winner, Blue Apple Theatre.

Large Business

WINNER: Ridge and Partners LLP

Ridge is a multidiscipline property and construction consultancy with offices around the UK. Richard Hand first started a South Coast office with three members of staff in 2008. Having grown that office organically, he led the acquisition of Winchester-based engineering

consultancy Upton McGougan in 2014. In 2016, he secured the purchase of PH Warr Ltd and relocated all their Bournemouth and Southampton staff to the Ridge office at Winnall and, in 2019, he completed the acquisition of another Winchester-based consultancy, Gysin Warr

Ltd, successfully integrating everyone within the Ridge organisation and culture

Shortlisted: Trethowans LLP

Shortlisted: Integr8 Dance

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Large Business Award winners, Ridge and Partners LLP.

New Business

WINNER: Remedi Health

From humble beginnings in one room, Remedi Health has recently moved to new premises in Southgate Street, registering as a private pharmacy with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Its business is built of the solid foundation of Covid-19 testing, but it now offers a large range of services alongside a core dispensing and medicines supply business.

Shortlisted: Giuseppe Manco

Shortlisted: Lark Kids

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. New Business Award winner, Remedi Health.

Service Excellence

WINNER: Searle & Taylor

Searle & Taylor has over 50 five-star Google reviews from its clients, praising its kitchens, design work and customer service. Searle & Taylor celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2021 and is the longest-established kitchen studio in Winchester, based on Southgate Street, opposite the Hotel du Vin

Shortlisted: Brims Yoga

Shortlisted: The Cup and Saucer

Shortlisted: Toscanaccio

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Service Excellence Award winners, Searle & Taylor Ltd.

SME/Independent Business

WINNER: P&G Wells

P&G Wells is (possibly) the oldest bookshop in the country having operated from the same site in College Street in Winchester since 1729; however in 2021 the shop moved into the 21st Century

Shortlisted: By Ross Garcia

Shortlisted: Maven Co-working

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. SME /Independent Business Award winners P&G Wells Ltd.

Sustainable Business

WINNER: Marwell Wildlife

Popular zoo and wildlife attraction Marwell Wildlife will reach carbon neutral this year for scopes 1, 2 and some 3 carbon emissions through a combination of energy efficiency, renewable energy (including a first of it's kind plant using animal manure to generate heat) and habitat restoration and tree planting.

Shortlisted: Earthian Zero Waste Shop

Shortlisted: Ridge and Partners LLP

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Sustainable Business Award winners, Marwell Wildlife.

Winner of the Millennium Egg - Steve Northam, IncuHive

This special honour, chosen by Winchester City Council, was given to Steve, who is the founder and director of a range of companies based in the UK, including The IncuHive Group, a collection of co-working flex office spaces that offer business incubation and mentoring/investment support as part of the community.

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Winner of the Millennium egg for 2022 Steve Northam pictured with Cllr Martin Tod and Cllr Lucille Thompson.

Overall Business of the Year

Marwell Wildlife

The judges chose Marwell Wildlife as the overall winner due to its outstanding commitment to sustainability and its recent Queen's Awards for Enterprise, as well as its positive contribution to the local area, as it is a large tourist attraction bringing in business from across the country.

Hampshire Chronicle: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022. Business of The Year winners, Marwell Wildlife.

This year's event was sponsored by Paris Smith, Dutton Gregory, Winchester City Council, Winchester University, Winchester BID, Azets, Ridge & Partners and Gentian. The awards were also supported by Natwest, Little Kitchen and Chesil House and were open to businesses within the Winchester District.

READ MORE: Photo gallery: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022 - are you in our gallery? More photos from the night 

WATCH: Winchester Business Excellence Awards 2022: Video shows all the excitement from the night