A NEW business awards evening could be set up by a Weston trade group to help highlight successful small firms.

Weston Chamber of Trade president Gail Parsons said the group is currently polling its members over setting up an awards evening for Weston businesses.

She said that this year’s North Somerset Business Leader awards were focused on larger companies - with the likes of Weston College and the Grand Pier named as winners - which meant independent firms did not have as much of a chance to win.

Ms Parsons said: “The business awards that they did were just for the big companies. Weston is mainly made up of smaller and medium-sized businesses.

“It’s not a true comparison. I could enter, but I can’t compete with Weston College or larger businesses.”

The chamber is now looking to set up its own awards focusing on smaller companies, and could hold its evening in September next year.

A similar set of awards was held by the North Somerset Enterprise Agency (NSEA) before Business Leader took over, and the chamber is looking to create a separate event harking back to the former, small-firm focused show.

NSEA manager Terry Gilbert said it is a good idea but that the group needs to bring the original dinner dance formula used in previous years up-to-date.

He said: “We ran it for years and made vast amounts of money for charity.

“I wish the chamber 100 per cent success but I do think they should look at the original formula and come up with something everybody enjoys.”