COMPANIES from across Gwent were honoured at a glittering awards presentation as the Oscars of the local business world were handed out.

More than 350 people attended this year’s bigger and better Monmouthshire Business Awards on Friday, October 6.

The gala dinner and presentation night at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport concluded a successful 2017 awards that saw a threefold increase in entries.

This year’s awards were expanded to cover the ‘old Monmouthshire’, opening the awards to entries from businesses beyond the current Monmouthshire county to Newport, Caerleon, Cwmbran, Ebbw Vale and Caerphilly.

Broadcaster Hywel James revealed this year’s winners when he hosted the gala night.

Mr James appeared on stage apparently fresh from being chased down ski slopes by gun-toting assassins in a James Bond spoof video. And the evening ended with the traditional and hilarious outtakes from the finalists’ video shoots.

The top award this year went to Newport-based timber firm Premier Forest Products, who were named Company of the Year. The most emotional moment of the night saw Young Apprentice winner Ellie Curtis, from Little Tigers Daycare in Rogiet, take to the stage in tears, so shocked and delighted was she to be named the winner. And the funniest moment went to Excellence in Manufacturing winner HJ Weir Engineering of Chepstow, whose holidaying managing director Ross Weir accepted the award via a spoof live satellite video feed from Barbados.

MBA founder and director Janet Harris said: “This was the biggest and best awards we have staged by far and the atmosphere at the gala dinner and presentation night was second to none.

“Everyone was supportive of every single nominee, and there was a real feeling that we were all there to celebrate the fantastic and innovative businesses operating in this area of Wales."

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor of next year’s Monmouthshire Business Awards, which will take place on October 19, 2018, should call 01633 891514 or go to the awards website monbizawards.co.uk