EXCEPTIONAL businesses have been honoured for their success during this year’s Castle Point Mayor’s Awards.

More than 140 guests packed Runnymede Hall, Thundersley, to find out which firms in the borough had clinched the hotly-contested accolades.

Jackie Govier, mayor of Castle Point, found it so hard to choose between two top companies, she handed a joint first place award to Canvey-based Epic Marketing Services, and Edward Carter Solutions, in High Road, Benfleet.

David Bancroft, managing director of Edward Carter, an award-winning IT recruitment firm which was set up in 2009, said: “It’s great news for us.

“When you go in for these awards, you are hoping you could win, but when you actually do, it’s very flattering.

“As a business, we work nationally and internationally, but in the last year we have reallymade a special effort to integrate into the local community.

“We are are totally committed to being a local community with local employees.”

Epic Marketing Services, in Point Road, is an independent telemarketing specialist which was set up 20 years ago. Director Jayne Clark-Denyer said: “It was a bit of a shock to win.

“We’ve been around for a quite a while now, and we do a lot for the community and for charity, so that is probably what made us stand out.

“We also have flexible working arrangements with our staff.

“We’re a small company doing big things.”

Alan Foster, from Castle Point Motors, on Benfleet’s Manor Trading Estate, won the community award for his work supporing numerous charities, clubs and groups, and his efforts setting up Flood Aid last year to help families in Somerset.

Dale Walter, from Canvey-based Completely K9 Hydrotherapy & Rehabilitation, won the apprentice award.

Brett Barber from Penn Sports, in Benfleet, and Alex Phillips, from Jet Wheel Tyre, also in Benfleet, were both highly commended in the apprentice category.