THE best in the business came together on Friday night to celebrate Oxfordshire's finest firms and most enterprising entrepreneurs.

Oxford Mail:

Now in its 24th year, the awards were presented at the futuristic John Henry Brookes Building at Oxford Brookes University’s Headington Campus.

SEE HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS

For the first time, business leaders and their staff were given the chance to vote for three shortlisted charities with an app they downloaded onto their phones, and Oxford-based mental health charity Restore was named the winner of The Oxford Times Charity and Community Award.

Oxford Mail:

Samantha Harman from the Oxford Times with Lesley Dewhurst and Tom Hayes of Restore, winners of the Charity and Community Award

It beat Play2Give, a fundraising organisation run by Andrew Baker, from Didcot, and East Oxford-based charity Donnington Doorstep, which runs a family centre.

It was a massive night for Oxford Space Systems, based at Harwell Oxford.

CEO and founder Mike Lawton won The Shaw Gibbs Business Person of the Year, while the company won The Hawkins Business of the Year Award - the biggest award on the night.

Oxford Mail:

Veronica Lawton and Vincent Fraux of Oxford Space Systems 

Mr Lawton was absent so co-founder and head of design Vincent Fraux picked up the awards on his behalf.

He said: “It’s a great honour to get this recognition from the Oxfordshire business community.

“Oxfordshire is a hub of innovation and the hub of the space industry in the UK.”

The Hays Employer of the Year Award went to Witney-based motorcycle products company Oxford Products. It also won The NatWest Large Business Award.

Tourism organisation Experience Oxfordshire won The Heart Cultural Events and Tourism Award. The evening’s guest speaker was TV presenter Chris Hollins.