It was an evening of glitz and glamour as the 26 finalists learned who would walk away with Sid Valley Business Awards.

Sidmouth Chamber of Commerce brought together retailers big and small, hospitality providers and professional and trade services at the Victoria Hotel to celebrate their successes on Saturday.

And after thousands of people backed their favourite in a Herald poll, Kyle Baker Photography was named Sid Valley Business of the Year, with 12 per cent of the vote. He was closely followed by Lexys, with 11 per cent, and Sarah Yates Interiors with 10 per cent.

The winners of the nine categories were:

? Retail store (sponsored by Potbury’s Funeral Service) – Fields of Sidmouth.

? Retail shop (sponsored by Potburys of Sidmouth) – Wayside Sidmouth Market.

? Sole trader award (sponsored by Molyneux Financial Planning) – Lucy Retter.

? Hospitality: pubs, restaurants and bars (sponsored by Thomas Westcott) – The Anchor Inn.

? Hospitality: tea rooms, coffee shops and tourist stops (sponsored by Sidmouth Print) – The Chattery.

? Hospitality: hotels, guest houses and B&Bs (sponsored by Morris Lettings) – The Salty Monk.

? Lifestyle: health, beauty, leisure and sport (sponsored by Marla Custom Blinds) – Jala Flow Yoga.

? Professional service (sponsored by Ford Simey) – Sidmouth Print.

? Trade service (sponsored by EDIT) – Fords.

The judges could not decide between website designer Alex Hammond and fabulous fundraiser Charlotte Hadfield so they shared a special young entrepreneur award.

The other finalists were Adam Davis; Alpine Park Cottages; Northcott Brothers; Blinis; The Dairy Shop; Funkifeet; The Glendevon; Humbug; Lexys; Power Plus Electrix; Sarah Yates Interiors; Sidmouth Rugby Club; Sidmouth Trawlers; Someday Something; Tiny Designs; and Willow Studios.

Andy Downham, who organised the awards on behalf of the chamber, said: “I hope everyone enjoyed the event. I would like to thank again the chamber, judges, sponsors, the Victoria Hotel, Sky Lizard and of course all the businesses that responded and applied to take part.

“Congratulations to all the winners and finalists and, in particular, Charlotte Hadfield and Alex Hammond, who received young entrepreneur awards, and Kyle Baker, the first Sid Valley Business of the Year award winner chosen by the public.

“This was a marvellous achievement from somebody in the sole trader category who has proved the benefit of self promotion and Kyle certainly knows how to market himself and his work. A result to epitomise the purpose of the awards perfectly.

“I am very pleased to have helped the chamber host an event that embraces the whole business community and encourage everyone to look out for the future events.”

Balloons for the event were provided by EH Coles.