THERE was double success for taxi company Value Cars and the company’s managing director Adrian Sainsbury at the Salisbury and District Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards on Friday.

Value Cars won the award for excellence in tourism and hospitality and Mr Sainsbury was also named as the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year at the event.

Business owners and staff from a wide variety of Salisbury companies gathered at the Arts Centre for the dinner and awards presentation, which was run in conjunction with the Salisbury Journal.

Chamber president Eliot Jones said companies were seeing changes in the way they do business due to social networking, and paid tribute to the talent and professionalism of business people in the city.

He announced that the Chamber’s Charity of the Year will be Wessex Heartbeat, which raises money for Southampton General Hospital’s cardiac unit where heart patients from Salisbury are treated.

The charity’s chief executive Alison Farrell thanked the Chamber for choosing the charity.

The ten awards were presented by sponsors from the wide range of organisations that supported the event.

After being presented with his two awards Mr Sainsbury said: “I am absolutely delighted. I never expected this, but it’s a great honour.”

At the age of 20, Daniel Rhind- Tutt of lapVent, was one of the youngest businessmen ever to win at the event when his company was named Sustainable Business of the Year.

“This is the third time I’ve entered these awards and it’s fantastic to win on this occasion,”

said Mr Rhind-Tutt.

“Everything we do at lapVent, how we run the company, has a sustainable element which is good for our customers and good for our business.”

The Chamber’s Business of the Year was Bassets Property Services Ltd.

“To win this particular award is a real honour,”

said managing director David Clayton.

“It’s no secret that estate agents sometimes get a bad press and have had a tough time in recent years but we do make a valuable contribution and our hard work is paying off.”

Award winners:

* The Spire FM Award for Excellence in Customer Service – Itology – The IT Shack 

* The Best Western Red Lion Hotel Centenary Award for Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality – Value Cars

* The Green Thumb Marketing Excellence Award – Girls Love Fit 

*  The Wiltshire Council Sustainable Business Award – lapVent 

*  The QinetiQ Apprentice/Trainee of the Year Award – Holly Sturgess - Memory Opticians 

* The Salisbury City Council Award for Outstanding Business Contribution to the Community – Inspired Community Salisbury Plain.

* The Salisbury Journal New Business of the Year – Number Sixty Hair, Nails and Beauty.

* The Salisbury and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry Entrepreneur of the Year - Adrian Sainsbury 

* The Lloyds TSB Outstanding Business of the Year Award – MG Cannon Ltd 

* The Salisbury and District Chamber of Commerce and Industry Business of the Year – Bassets Property Services Ltd.