Award Archives - Invest Colchester

Colchester Gift Retailer Wins National Award for Innovation

Posted on June 4, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Popular Colchester gift retailer, Bill & Burts, has won a national award for Best Retailer Initiative at the recent National Gift Retailer Awards.

Bill Nettelfield runs gift shop Bill and Bert’s in Sir Isaac’s Walk alongside business partner Sarah Charlton.

The business beat five other nominees from across the country to win Best Retailer Initiative at The Greats Gift Retailer Awards on May 14 in London.

The Award recognised the shop’s innovative approach for its ‘What’s In The Box?’ videos which it started posting weekly on social media over the last few years.

Image credit: Bill & Burts

Colchester wins National Pubwatch of the Year 2025

Posted on February 18, 2026 | by Editor | Leave a Comment

Colchester Pubwatch has been awarded the top accolade of the National Pubwatch of the Year at a prestigious ceremony, sponsored by pub chain JD Wetherspoon, at the House of Lords.

The National Pubwatch Award, which is judged by members of the National Pubwatch Committee, recognises the work of local Pubwatch schemes and their efforts to provide safe drinking environments for customers and staff.

Colchester Pubwatch was rewarded for its proactive and forward-thinking approach to managing the night-time economy, including its partnership work with the Police, Business Improvement District and Colchester City Council.

Andy Starr, chair of Colchester Pubwatch, said: “Thank you National Pubwatch. Winning this award is a huge honour and is recognition of the teamwork and commitment shown by everyone involved in Colchester Pubwatch.

“Our aim is to make the City of Colchester a safe and welcoming place for all. This award celebrates the dedication of our members who work as conduits between authorities, licensees and many partners to ensure a safe night out for everyone.”

Image credit: Pubwatch.

Left to right: Vinnie Geaves and Andy Starr (Colchester Pubwatch, Nigel Connor (Wetherspoons), Lord Evans, Steve Baker OBE (National Pubwatch)

Horizon Construction Wins Award at International Property Awards

Posted on February 8, 2021 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

Colchester-based Horizon Construction has won the Mixed Use Development Award for The Signal Yard in Chelmsford at the International Property Awards 2020-2021. The residential development includes 14 apartments and 3 commercial outlets.

Image credit: Horizon Construction

Ingleton Woods Top 150 consultants 2 Nov 2019

Colchester-based Ingleton Wood Ranked in National Top 50 Construction Consultants List

Posted on December 17, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

Colchester-based Ingleton Wood has risen 25 places in ‘Building’ magazine’s Top 150 consultants’ list to number 48. Last year, they were positioned at number 73.

Building magazine compiles its list annually and it has become a prestigious league table for the industry’s largest consultants. It lists the top 150 architects, engineers, surveyors and project managers in the UK ranked according to the number of employees, chartered staff and project fees.

Image: Ingleton Wood

Colchester Events Company’s Wedding Team Wins Top Award

Posted on December 11, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

The Luxury Travel Guide (LTG) has selected Colchester Events Company’s highly skilled and dedicated Weddings team to win the coveted ‘Wedding Specialists of the Year’ award.

The LTG awards identify the best wedding destinations, hotels, spas, golf clubs, travel agencies, lifestyle companies, and many more – with the focus on innovation, design, rooms & facilities, gastronomic achievements, service excellence, use of technology, sustainable development, marketing & branding, employee satisfaction and location.

Image credit: Image by Arek Socha at Pixabay.com

Rightmove Report sees Colchester in the top 50 Happiest Places to Live in Britain

Posted on December 6, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

Colchester featured in the top 50 happiest places to live in Britain according to a survey by Rightmove estate agents. When comparing the results in the Eastern region the town came 4th. The survey placed Colchester above regional centres such as Cambridge (54th nationally and 7th regionally) and Norwich (59th nationally and 8th regionally).

Image credit: Colchester Borough Council

More than 22,000 people responded to Rightmove’s ‘Happy at Home’ index which asks how happy they are where they live based on 12 happiness factors. These range from how safe residents feel and how friendly the neighbours are to how good the local services are, the level of community spirit and the quality of cultural activities in the area.

UOE rankings 48th for social sciences Nov 2019

University of Essex in World Top 50 for Social Sciences

Posted on November 7, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

The University of Essex, based in Colchester, is once again ranked in the global elite for the social sciences after being ranked 48th in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2020 thanks to the strength of its research and international profile.

Image credit: University of Essex

Colchester-based Ultimotive wins Small Business of the Year Award in the Eastern Region

Posted on October 11, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

Brand licensing company Ultimotive continues their winning year with another award for 2019. Recognising and rewarding excellence in British business, the Chamber Business Awards is one of the UK’s most contested and prestigious business award programmes. Each year, from Aberdeen to Cornwall, organisations of all sizes and sectors compete for the coveted titles and the national recognition they bring.

The Small Business of the Year category is sponsored by Facebook. The ability to highlight strong financial performance as well as consistent growth secured Ultimotive, the only Essex-based company listed, with this prestigious award.

Image credit: Chamber Business Awards

Firstsite Visual Art Gallery Shortlisted for Prestigious Freelands Award

Posted on July 22, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

Firstsite is one of six arts organisastions across the UK to have been shortlisted for the prestigious Freelands Award which is worth £100,000.

Image credit: Colchester Borough Council

Cloudfm Wins Queen’s Award for Innovation

Posted on May 15, 2019 | by web@colchester.gov.uk

Colchester based Cloudfm is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of innovation. This highly sought-after award recognises Cloudfm’s outstanding contribution to the facilities management industry and is the first time a maintenance company has been honoured for innovation in 10 years.