SoGlos is delighted to reveal the winners of the Gloucestershire Business Awards 2026, after they were officially announced at Cheltenham Town Hall on Thursday 5 November 2026.
As the county's leading business awards, the Gloucestershire Business Awards put the region's very best businesses centre stage, championing organisations of all sizes and sectors, from inspiring start-ups to global powerhouses and everything in between.
The 2026 awards ceremony brought together finalists, partners and special guests for a sparkling celebration, where this year's winners and highly commended businesses were revealed for the first time – including the overall Business of the Year 2026, which is handpicked from all the winners by headline partners Hazlewoods and Willans LLP solicitors.
Thanks once again to our event partner The Cheltenham Trust; video partner StillMoving; compere Steve Knibbs; official photographer Pedge Photography; and everyone in Team SoGlos.
Here's who took home a trophy...
Gloucestershire Business Awards 2026 winners
New Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: Switch Health
Winner: Embrace Renewables
Combining innovation, commerciality and social impact, Embrace Renewables is on a mission to solve a critical barrier in the UK's transition to clean energy – integrating renewable energy and battery storage in homes and communities – by designing effective and aesthetically pleasing covers for battery storage systems, ASHPs and EV chargers. After launching in 2025, the company has a projected value of £3 million in 2027, with sales revenue increasing month-on-month, earning it the award for New Business of the Year 2026.
Highly commended: Bounce Activations
Most Innovative Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: Everyman Theatre
Winner: Avantis Education
Gloucester-based Avantis Education is a global leader in immersive learning technology, and brings together purpose-built software, classroom management, curriculum-aligned content, safeguarding and teacher support in its impressive ClassVR product and Eduverse content ecosystem, as well as interactive VR sensory rooms that support SEND educators and learners in its first-of-its-kind wellbeing and inclusion solution, EduverseTHRIVE. Following a King’s Award for Enterprise in 2026, Avantis Education takes home the title for Most Innovative Business of the Year 2026.
Highly commended: Tuckshop Vending
Growth Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: The Growth Hub
Winner: Salus
Gloucestershire-based cyber security company, Salus, has established a national reputation for protecting some of the country's most critical sectors, including defence, intelligence, national infrastructure and government, as well as their supply chains. Delivering fully funded, profitable growth with no external investment, in one of the most difficult sectors to scale, alongside winning a string of competitive contracts, and giving back to the wider sector through the UK Cyber Security Council's Technical Advisory Panel, providing free testing for charities, and developing the next generation of cyber talent, Salus is crowned Growth Business of the Year 2026.
Highly commended: Jason & Philip Serviced Accommodation
Family Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: QuoLux
Winner: E G Carter & Co
Family-owned construction firm, E G Carter & Co, is a Gloucester institution, but while its roots are firmly here in the county, its impact spreads much further into communities across Gloucestershire. Guided by the family values instilled by its founders, the business is now led by the fourth generation, and over 60 per cent of its team have been with the company for 10 years or more, a testament to its commitment to building both careers and communities with every project – and a fitting Family Business of the Year 2026!
Highly commended: Over Farm
Sustainable Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: DBPixelhouse
Winner: De Vere Cotswold Water Park Hotel
As one of the Cotswolds' largest hotels, De Vere Cotswold Water Park understands the value of the natural world surrounding it, and has embedded sustainability into business strategy, day-to-day operations, company culture and decision making. Running on 100 per cent renewable energy, the hotel has reduced its carbon emissions by 30 per cent since 2019 with a commitment to net zero by 2050; diverted 100 per cent of its waste from landfill and drastically reduced reliance on single-use products; achieved 100 per cent IACC Green Star accreditation; and even launched its own carbon calculator to help guests offset their own emissions – as well as supporting local charities and food banks, protecting and planting trees, and removing plastic from the country's coastlines.
Highly commended: Lease Electric and SOZO
Best Place To Work Award 2026
Category partner: Go HR
Winner: Fat Potato
With a guiding principle of people, technology, trust, Fat Potato knows how important teamwork is to its success. It has created a people-first workplace where employees feel listened to, trusted, supported and connected, with opportunities to grow and develop both personally and professionally. The company prioritises career progression, employee benefits from income protection for long-term sickness to bonuses and private healthcare, and company culture, and is even exploring an Employee Ownership Trust to place its future firmly in the hands of its team. And with a 97 per cent staff retention rate, even as the company grows rapidly, our judges deemed Fat Potato a worthy winner of the Best Place To Work Award 2026.
Highly commended: Benefact Group
Team of the Year 2026
Category partner: Verlingue
Winner: Fasthosts
The AI Receptionist virtual team at Fasthosts brought together five key disciplines to bring an innovative new product to market. By leaving egos and silo mentality behind, technology, product management, marketing, customer success and customer support worked together seamlessly to build, test, market and train staff on the new product, meaning the team was able to launch the product early and gain impressive traction with small businesses across the country, setting the standard for how Fasthosts launches all future products. The AI Receptionist virtual team take home the Team of the Year title for 2026.
Highly commended: Hub8
Customer Excellence Award 2026
Category partner: System Force IT
Winner: Holiday Architects
After coming highly commended in 2025, Holiday Architects takes home the Customer Excellence Award in 2026, thanks to its exceptional service and customer loyalty. From providing every customer with their own dedicated destination manager, to its unwavering dedication to building long-term relationships, rather than short-term sales, Holiday Architects has achieved 98 per cent five star reviews, a 4.9 TrustScore and Net Promoter Score of 83.3, and its repeat and recommendation bookings have been rising consistently since 2019, with over a third of its total bookings coming from returning clients or referrals in 2026 so far.
Highly commended: Ceiling Tiles UK
Business Leader of the Year 2026
Category partner: JM Finn
Winner: Sarah Travell – Virgate Accounts
Sarah Travell has built Virgate Accounts from the ground up, after starting the business in her spare room back in 2018. Using her own life struggles, and her extensive experience across all elements of the accounting and finance sector, Sarah identified a gap in the market and made it her mission to help SMEs access affordable, timely management information, transforming Virgate from a traditional outsourced accounts provider into a scalable finance partner for SMEs, and expanding its clientele from predominantly hospitality into professional services, property, e-commerce and manufacturing. Sarah has championed everything from cloud accounting to automation, and created a culture of accountability and high performance, which has allowed the company to scale without compromise – now employing 40 people and generating over £1.6 million in annual revenue.
Highly commended: Jack Cook – First Thought Care Services
Businesswoman of the Year 2026
Category partner: University of Gloucestershire
Winner: Caroline Summers – PBShop.co.uk
PBShop.co.uk CEO, Caroline Summers, leads with a clear vision to build a sustainable business that combines commercial success with positive impact. Not one to shy away from difficult decisions, Charlotte has taken strategic action to remove the company from markets which don't align with its values and objectives, sustaining a strong commitment to long-term goals, over short-term gains. Over 70 per cent of PBShop.co.uk's team are women, and Charlotte has been instrumental in fostering an inclusive environment which allows women to progress, lead and thrive, embedding flexibility, trust and empowerment into the fabric of the business. She has also led the charge in creating an Employee Ownership Trust, to secure PBShop.co.uk's long-term future, giving the business financial freedom and its employees the chance to become genuine stakeholders in its success.
Highly commended: Karina Thomas – ProSkin Clinic & Health UK
Employee of the Year 2026
Category partner: Seymour John
Winner: Charlotte Lipscombe – North Tower Consulting
Alongside consistently going above and beyond in her role at North Tower Consulting, and playing a key part in the company's social value and sustainability commitments, from its Net Zero journey to STEM project days for young people, Charlotte Lipscombe led the company's CPR challenge in 2025, in partnership with Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, training over 650 people in the lifesaving skill – which for Charlotte, was put to the test when she encountered someone suffering a cardiac arrest at the supermarket. Charlotte administered CPR for 20 minutes before the emergency services arrived, action that medical staff later confirmed was critical in saving the person's life.
Highly commended: Derek Maddock – Sudeley Castle & Gardens
Charity of the Year 2026
Category partner: Nimble Elearning
Winner: Severn Wye Energy Agency
One of the most hotly-contested categories every year, this year's Charity of the Year 2026 is Severn Wye Energy Agency. This Gloucester-based charity doesn't just fix problems, but offers a holistic approach involving multiple partners from healthcare providers to food banks, to help households across the county benefit from improved energy efficiency, warmer homes, cost savings, and better health. From distributing over £1.38 million for home improvements, to offering Warmth on Prescription in partnership with the NHS and Gloucestershire County Council, the charity has demonstrated improved physical and mental health outcomes for the people it has helped, as well as saving costs for both the NHS and wider society by reducing medical appointments for issues caused or worsened by living in cold homes.
Highly commended: National Star
Micro Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: 16i
Winner: Tuckshop Vending
Delivering big impact for a micro business, through innovation, agility, supplier relationships and customer focus, Tuckshop Vending is setting a new standard for what it means to be a micro business in Gloucestershire. From humble roots, with a single milk vending machine on its family farm, to 22 vending locations across the region, supporting 10 local producers and giving thousands of customers 24/7 access to high-quality food on-demand, Tuckshop Vending is our Micro Business of the Year 2026.
Highly commended: SecondLife
Small Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: The Boutique Workplace Co
Winner: Over Farm
After coming highly commended for Family Business, Gloucester's Over Farm gets its moment in the spotlight as it takes home the title of Small Business of the Year 2026. Having evolved from a traditional family farm into the county's favourite family day out, and a popular foodie destination thanks to its farm shop and cafe stocked with lovely local produce, Over Farm has been able to deliver sustained financial growth year-on-year, increasing its turnover from £2.87 million in 2023 to £3.56 million in 2025, alongside growing its gross and net profits, and continuously reinvesting in its staff, facilities and popular seasonal events, too.
Highly commended: Bolthole Retreats and Fat Potato
Medium Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: Gloucestershire County Council
Winner: E G Carter & Co
E G Carter & Co claims its second trophy in this year's awards, with its strong Gloucestershire roots, family values, 80-year history, long-serving staff team, commitment to the local community, and long-term business sustainability – not to mention its milestone £100 million turnover – earning it the title of Medium Business of the Year 2026, as well as Family Business of the Year 2026.
Highly commended: Cowley Manor Experimental and Hewer Facilities Management
Large Business of the Year 2026
Category partner: StillMoving
Winner: Benefact Group
This year's awards are the second time Benefact Group has taken home the trophy for Large Business of the Year, but it hasn't been resting on its laurels since its last win in 2023 – in fact it has increased its headcount in Gloucester from 710 to 1,100 and continues to invest in staff development and satisfaction in a variety of ways, from generous bonuses and holiday allowances, to private healthcare and progression opportunities; it has continued donating millions of pounds to charities and community initiatives each year – reaching the milestone of becoming one of the UK's largest corporate givers; and has plans to double in size over the next five years as it diversifies into new markets, creating more jobs, careers and opportunites for local people and the economy.
Highly commended: Hartpury University and Hartpury College
Business of the Year 2026
Winner: E G Carter & Co
And last but most certainly not least, handpicked by Gloucestershire Business Awards headline partners Hazlewoods and Willans LLP, the winner of Business of the Year 2026 is E G Carter & Co!
Sam Carter, managing director of E G Carter & Co, said: ‘We're about 195 strong, our team, with lots of families within our company – fathers and sons, husbands and wives – this award represents all those people.
'We’re Gloucestershire-based, we trade throughout the county and we're very passionate about supporting Gloucestershire, not just with our construction projects, but also with our social value commitments and our wider support of the county. So to be able to represent Gloucestershire at these awards is fantastic.'
Be part of the Gloucestershire Business Awards 2027
To find out about partnership opportunities and the chance to associate your brand with Gloucestershire's most credible business awards in 2027, contact SoGlos's Partnerships Hub by emailing partnerships@sopublishing.com or calling 01242 210330.
For more information about the Gloucestershire Business Awards, see soglos.com/business-awards.
