BUSINESSES of all sizes will come together tomorrow night to celebrate success at the annual Oxfordshire Business Awards.

The OXBAs will see dozens of businesses from across the county head to Oxford Brookes University’s John Henry Brookes Building in Headington.

The black tie dinner will be attended by about 500 guests, representing businesses from a variety of sectors and will be hosted by TV personality and impressionist Rory Bremner.

READ AGAIN: Finalists shortlisted for the 2019 Oxfordshire Business Awards

TOAD (The Oxford Artisan Distillery) has been shortlisted for two awards, including The Knights Small Business Award.

Oxford Mail:

Paul Lowe, chairman of the OXBAs, said: “For 25 years, the OXBAs have championed businesses and those individuals who have made a positive impact in Oxfordshire.

“Winning an OXBA brings genuine recognition and acknowledgement amongst peers and we are looking forward to showcasing some of the best businesses in the county at this Friday’s event.”

Nigel Tipple, chief executive of the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), which is sponsoring the New Business Award, said the OXBAs offer a great opportunity to celebrate the county’s business community, as well as an economy that generates around £23billion GVA each year, one of just three net contributors to the national exchequer.

Mr Tipple said: “Small businesses are the backbone of any economy and that’s particularly the case in Oxfordshire.

Oxford Mail:

“Across the county, we have seen around 50,000 new jobs created between 2012 and 2017, with small businesses responsible for a considerable number of these – nationally, over 99 per cent of the UK’s 5.7million businesses are classified as ‘small’ employing a total of 16.1 million people.

“With this in mind, the OXBAs create an opportunity to celebrate ‘business’ and the impact it makes, not only to our economy, but also the professional opportunities companies create for thousands of people on a daily basis.”