BakerWilcox wins the Changemaker award at the TN Awards 2026

Well, that was a surprise! On Tuesday 10th November, we headed to the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells for the third annual TNAwards. We certainly weren’t expecting to come home with an award, but somehow, that’s exactly what happened!

I’ve been to the Assembly Hall countless times over the years, watching everything from pantomimes and Billy Ocean to an AC/DC tribute band. But this time was a little different. Everyone had swapped their everyday clothes for their finest outfits, ready for an evening celebrating the brilliant businesses and people of Tunbridge Wells.

And what an evening it turned out to be!

But first, why did we enter?

The BakerWilcox team have never been particularly good at blowing our own trumpets. We’re far happier celebrating our clients’ successes than shouting about our own.

But this year has felt a little different. For starters, we achieved B Corp™ certification, something we’re incredibly proud of. We’ve continued developing our services to offer more sustainable design solutions, particularly through our work creating fast, efficient, low-carbon websites. We’ve also been finding more ways to support our clients, other businesses and the communities around Tunbridge Wells.

So when Jess Gibson from The TN Awards Company got in touch and suggested that the Changemaker Award might be a good fit for us, I thought it was worth taking a closer look.

The awards are independently judged, with plenty of competition, so this certainly wasn’t a one horse race. But what really convinced me was the description of the Changemaker Award.

The award celebrates businesses, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations creating meaningful positive change, whether through sustainability, ethical business practices, social impact or community initiatives.

“Creating meaningful positive change” those four words really resonated with me. They summed up exactly what we’ve been trying to achieve at BakerWilcox.

Being a changemaker for us goes beyond the work we produce. Becoming B Corp™ certified has made us look at every part of how BakerWilcox operates – our environmental impact, the suppliers we use, how we support our team and how we contribute to our local community.

We also want to share what we have learnt. Through talks, local business networks and our work with clients, we are encouraging other businesses to consider the environmental impact of their digital activity and showing them that lots of small, practical changes can collectively make a very real difference.

And that, really, is what it’s all about for us.

Off went our submission on 5th October, and to be perfectly honest, I didn’t give it much more thought. A couple of weeks later, while attending the Blue Earth Summit, I received an email from Jess Gibson with the news that we’d been selected as finalists! 

It added an extra bit of excitement to an already inspiring few days, learning about new innovations, ideas and practical ways to tackle climate change. Being recognised alongside other organisations working to make a positive difference felt like an achievement in itself.

Fast forward to 10th November. The Assembly Hall was buzzing. Everyone was in fantastic spirits, there was plenty of excitement and, in some cases, possibly a little too much alcohol!

We took our seats and waited for the evening to unfold. Jess introduced the awards and shared more about the judging process with a wonderful short film created by Tom Chown from Digitom, introducing the judges and explaining how the decisions were made.

Tom is also a fellow B Local Kent Co-Chair, so it was lovely to see his work featured. The film gave a real sense of the care, independence and community spirit behind the awards.

Another important part of the evening was the support for Taylor-Made Dreams. As well as £10 from every ticket, the raffle proceeds were being donated to this incredible local charity. I managed to catch up with Suzi Mitchell earlier, who was absolutely rocking her short hair after ‘Braving the Shave’ for the charity’s 30 Days of Tay campaign a few months earlier. It was wonderful to hear how well things were going, although with charities like Taylor-Made Dreams, there’s always more we can do to help.

One of the lovely things about being part of the Tunbridge Wells business community is getting to know so many of the people behind our local businesses. And the calibre of finalists this year was incredible.

I was particularly pleased to see Andrea Lindeyer win Business Woman of the Year. Andrea and I were fellow panellists at the Make It Your Business event back in September, and once you get to know her and everything she’s achieved, you realise there’s simply no stopping her. A thoroughly deserved win!

It was also brilliant to see Gavin and Lorraine Marsh collect Retailer of the Year for their wonderful store in The Pantiles which I know they have worked so hard to achieve.

There were so many deserving winners throughout the evening, and it was a fantastic reminder of just how much talent, ambition and generosity exists within our town.

And then came the Changemaker Award...

This was the moment we’d been waiting for. The award was sponsored by Berry & Lamberts Solicitors, and I know Paul Reader from the firm very well. It was lovely to hear him speak about why supporting positive change in our community matters so much to them.

Looking at the other finalists, I genuinely couldn’t imagine us winning. We were alongside some extraordinary organisations, including DAVSS, which supports victims of domestic abuse in West Kent, and Braeburn Care, which helps people maintain their independence and remain in their own homes.

Other finalists included TriSwim, Step3 Digital, Aspens, Children’s Physio Tunbridge Wells, St George’s Childcare, TN2 Wellness Hub and Tunbridge Wells Counselling Hub.

Every one of these organisations is doing something valuable, and being included among them was an honour.

Paul announced the Highly Commended entries, and I remember thinking, “Oh well, there’s always next year!”

Then he started describing the winner.

Hang on a minute. That sounds familiar. Surely not?

“BakerWilcox!”

I was completely stunned.

The next thing I remember was an enormous amount of screaming from the people around me, followed by a slightly dazed walk to the stage. My heart was practically jumping out of my chest!

What an incredible feeling. After more than 20 years in business, to have our work and values recognised in this way really does mean the world. And I have to admit, I rather enjoyed it. I can see why people get hooked on winning awards!

After the photographs taken by the brilliant John Knight, Paul and I headed to the podcast room, hosted by Nick Bryant from Brilliant Businesses.

I was still buzzing with excitement, so I honestly have no idea what I said. I’ll have to wait until the podcast comes out to find out!

But something Paul said afterwards really stayed with me. He spoke about how our conversations around sustainability had encouraged him to make changes within Berry & Lamberts. I’d previously suggested that he attend a free Carbon Literacy course funded by Amplifi.tw. Following the course, he’d gone on to speak with sustainability consultants I’d introduced him to, helping Berry & Lamberts take further steps towards its Net Zero goals.

Now, this might not sound like a huge moment to everyone, but for me, it was probably one of the most rewarding parts of the entire evening.

We spend a lot of time talking about sustainability, responsible business and the environmental impact of the choices we make. We share ideas, recommend resources, introduce people and encourage businesses to think differently.

But you don’t always know whether those conversations lead anywhere. To hear that a business like Berry & Lamberts had listened, taken action and started making meaningful changes was incredibly rewarding.

Because that’s what being a changemaker is really about.

It’s not necessarily about doing something enormous or revolutionary. Sometimes it’s about starting a conversation, sharing what you’ve learnt or helping someone take that first step. And when those actions encourage others to make changes of their own, the impact starts to grow. For me, that was just as important as bringing home the award.

So, what’s next for BakerWilcox?

Well, firstly, a huge thank you to Jess Gibson and everyone involved in organising the TN Awards, to the independent judges, and to Berry & Lamberts for sponsoring the Changemaker Award.

Thank you also to the wonderful Tunbridge Wells business community, and congratulations to all the finalists and winners. We’re very lucky to be surrounded by so many people doing such brilliant things.

And, of course, a massive thank you to the BakerWilcox team. This award belongs to all of us.

We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing: creating thoughtful, effective and more sustainable design solutions, supporting our community, sharing what we learn and encouraging other businesses to make positive changes. We certainly don’t have all the answers, but we believe that small actions, taken collectively, can make a very big difference.

As for the awards themselves, I think I might have caught the bug. Perhaps we’ll enter a few more and see how we get on. Although winning the first one does rather set the bar high! For now, we’re just going to enjoy this one.

Thank you, Tunbridge Wells. What a night!

Photo Credit: John Knight Photography