Barking and Dagenham companies flew the borough’s flag among the cream of east London businesses last week, taking home the top prize in an impressive awards showing.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Glen Standage, of Walter Newbury Ltd uses an oversewer machine which sews single leaf pages together.Glen Standage, of Walter Newbury Ltd uses an oversewer machine which sews single leaf pages together. (Image: Archant)

Open to enterprises across Havering, Newham, Redbridge and Tower Hamlets, of the 19 winners and runners-up in last Wednesday’s Docklands Business Club and East London Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, seven hailed from Barking and Dagenham .

Scented candle manufacturers Stoneglow Candles, based in Selinas Lane, Dagenham, were the big winners of the night, scooping the Business Growth prize before being crowned overall Business of the Year.

The triumph capped off a successful year for the company which also won the headline prize in July’s Barking and Dagenham awards, before winning a Home Fragrance award at last month’s Gift of the Year awards in Birmingham.

Stoneglow, which export as far as Australia, Hong Kong and Japan, will leave the borough after 18 years next week, to set up shop in a larger unit in Romford.

Barking and Dagenham Post: Matt Holyfield, co-owner (left) and John Kess, business development manager at Capital Karts go-kart track.Matt Holyfield, co-owner (left) and John Kess, business development manager at Capital Karts go-kart track. (Image: Archant)

“Winning a prize like this, it’s ultimately down to the fantastic team we have,” said company director Perry Simmons, 53. “The state of manufacturing in this country has helped us out – there’s much more coming back to the UK.

Glen Standage, managing director of Dagenham publishers Walter Newbury Ltd, was highly commended in the Business Person of the Year category, adding to the prize he won at last year’s borough-wide awards.

“It’s been a great year and the business is really going forward,” he said. “Coming to Barking and Dagenham [from East Ham] has been brilliant – the council especially have been really useful.”

The successes come six months after the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) named Barking and Dagenham as one of the best London boroughs for new start-ups.

Mark Kass, head of enterprise and economic development for Agilisys, was delighted by the borough’s strong showing.

“It makes you quite proud to see how enterprising the borough really is, backing up the recent FSB findings,” he said.

Go-karting company Capital Karts, based in Barking, was named New Business of the Year.