As the presentation got under way, Arabella Dymoke, MD of the GWG, introduced Sam Crocker, digital director of the mission™(headline sponsor), who spoke about the Awards and the digital world. It was then up to Nick Hungerford, co-founder of Nutmeg, the fastest growing investment management business in the UK and last year’s GWG winner, to present the prizes.
WEBSITE OF THE YEAR
TrustedHousesitters.com provides a simple solution to a universal problem - connecting home and pet owners who need trustworthy people who want to housesit your home while you’re away.
Sam Crocker, Nick Hungerford, Rose Hernu and Laurence Bresh
Nick Hungerford said that “TrustedHousesitters is a classic example of a beautiful idea, crafted from a real customer need, that is executed with simplicity and class. The network effect supports a robust business model and the growing willingness of people to participate in the sharing economy means that the company is set to grow and prosper over the coming years.”
Sadly Andy Peck, founder and leader of the TrustedHousesitters' pack, was unable to attend the event but on hearing the news about their win, he said, "We are very proud to win the Good Web Guide’s Website of the Year. We have a devoted and highly engaged community who continually tell us that TrustedHousesitters is an invaluable, life enriching service - this award will spur us on to continue to deliver a first class service. Over the last five years we have connected people from more than 130 countries around the world by facilitating more than 1 million nights of pet sitting. We have enabled our members to travel with peace of mind and saved them more than £150 million in accommodation and pet care costs. A huge thank-you to all our fantastic team for playing such an invaluable part in this.”
One of the judges, Justine Roberts, co-founder of Mumsnet, commented, "TrustedHousesitters is well designed, and has cleverly matched two needs to create a win-win site for pet owners and sitters."
PEOPLE'S CHOICE
Family Business United won the People’s Choice with its effective social media campaign, just pushing ahead of rival, TrustedHousesitters. Family Business United brings the global family business community together with news, views and insights from family businesses and their professional advisers.
CATEGORY WINNERS
ARTS/CULTURE
SCREENHITS
www.screenhits.tv
A global platform for discovering some of the hottest shows from around the world across all devices.
BUSINESS
HIRED.CO.UK
www.hired.co.uk
This leading online marketplace for technical talent officially opened a London office at the end of March, Hired's first city outside the US. During a successful four month trial period in the United Kingdom, London's best technology companies have responded strongly to Hired's curated pool of responsive, high-quality candidates.
EDUCATION
MYPHOTOSCHOOL
www.my-photo-school.com
MyPhotoSchool gives students from around the world the opportunity to study beginner to advanced level practical online photography courses in a range of subjects, via weekly video tutorials & personal tuition from some of the world’s leading experts in photography.
EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE
WICKED UNCLE
www.wickeduncle.co.uk
'The world's best E-Toy Shop' - helping you find the perfect present for girls and boys of all ages.
GARDENING
MY GARDEN SCHOOL
www.my-garden-school.com
MyGardenSchool gives students from around the world the opportunity to study beginner to advanced level practical online gardening courses in a range of subjects via weekly video tutorials and personal tuition from some of the world’s leading experts in horticulture.
SOCIAL
TRUSTEDHOUSESITTERS.COM
www.trustedhousesitters.com
Provides a simple solution to a universal problem - connecting home and pet owners who need trustworthy people who want to housesit your home while you’re away.
HEALTH/BEAUTY
TOOTHPICK
www.toothpick.com
Toothpick is an online, real-time booking platform for dental appointments. Toothpick has already helped over a million people find dentist appointments, and in the process helped participating dentists fill their calendars to the tune of £22m.
BEST OF BRITISH
BEYOND BESPOKE
www.beyond-bespoke.co.uk
The first of its kind, a consumer facing website that dedicates itself fully to British luxury.
CHARITY
IKCA
www.ikca.org.uk
The internationally known charity, founded by Imran Khan, helping cancer patients in Pakistan.
FINANCE
ORBIS INVESTENT ADVISORY
www.orbisaccess.co.uk
Orbis Access is a new type of investment company that aims to democratise investing by making it easy for everyone to invest over the long term.
FOOD/DRINK
HONESTLY HEALTHY
www.honestlyhealthyfood.com
Honestly Healthy delivers cutting edge knowledge around alkaline food in the form of YouTube videos, recipes and education from Natasha Corrett and her team of nutritional experts .
HOMES
THEROOMEDIT
www.theroomedit.com
An essential site for shoppers in search of style inspiration for an interiors project.
LUXURY
TRULY EXPERIENCES
trulyexperiences.com
Truly’s aim is to inspire you; to enable you to create extraordinary experiences that you can then share with the people who matter most, those experiences and the resulting memories that last a lifetime. From Michelin star dining to luxury getaways, drinks and tastings, there are gifts to suit all tastes, at varying prices.
POSITIVE LIVING
DIMPSEY
www.dimpsey.co.uk
Dimpsey is an all-in experience helping busy people to get some quality time. Listed as a Chic Escape in Net-a-Porter's online magazine 'The Edit' after one of their managers stayed here.
PROPERTY
PURPLE BRICKS
www.purplebricks.com
Purplebricks is spearheading the rise of hybrid estate agencies, combining a revolutionary online platform with local property experts on the ground.
REALLY USEFUL
THE MEMO
thememo.com
The Memo is a new publication for people curious about the future, reporting on the individuals, technology and ideas changing the world.
RETAIL
THE LETTEROOM
www.theletteroom.com
The Letteroom is unique in that it is the only website that has invested heavily in the typographic side of gifts.
STARTUPS
HOUSEKEEP
www.housekeep.com
Housekeep is disrupting the £4bn home cleaning market with its real-time booking service for cleaners, enabling customers to book online.
TRAVEL
SECRET ESCAPES
www.secretescapes.com
Secret Escapes was founded in 2010, going where no travel brand had gone before – making luxury travel accessible by combining flash sales with 4* and 5* holidays.
The Good Web Guide has been delighted to have worked with the mission™, marketing communications and advertising group, over the past six months as the Awards have continued to grow and attract entries from both established players and grass roots start-ups. This year, significantly, has seen entries from previous GWG Awards who have returned with new and improved sites, that went on to enjoy success in their chosen categories.
17 November 2015