A housing and employment support service firm has been named team of the year at the annual Solihull BID Excellence Awards.

Advance Employment works on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions and is responsible for the Work Choice programme in Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.

The scheme helps disabled people who want to get into work and judges described Advance Employment as a "really motivated team who are absolutely passionate about what they do".

The panel was impressed with the engagement the whole team had with potential employers and how they continued to work with people once when they were placed in employment to monitor progress.

Solihull BID Excellence Awards 2017
Solihull BID Excellence Awards 2017

The Excellence Awards are run by Solihull Business Improvement District and celebrate companies and individuals across eight categories.

Other winners included apprentice of the year Omar Naeem from Sky Retail, Mad Hatter's children's charity was named best fundraising project and Phoebus Software scooped outstanding innovation.

Melanie Palmer, director of Solihull BID, said: "We have 472 businesses within an area of less than two square miles that are bursting at the seams with qualities that make us the best place to do business in the UK.

"These awards continue to prove what a hotbed Solihull town centre is for business stars of the future and showcase our broad variety of sectors and skills."

The Excellence Awards were judged by HM Deputy Lieutenant for the West Midlands David Bradnock, EY director Paul Brown, Eileen Schofield of employment lawyers Schofield & Associates, Solihull College principal John Callaghan and Stacey Barnfield, director Edwin Ellis Creative Media.

More than 400 guests gathered for the awards ceremony which was held at St Johns Hotel and hosted by ITV News Central newsreader Sameena Ali-Khan.

The full list of winners is:

Customer Service

Winner: RBS

Highly Commended: Turtle Bay Restaurant

Innovation and Enterprise

Phoebus Software API

Independent

Winner: Projex Building Solutions

Highly Commended: Six Nine Nine Creative Hair Design

Team

Advance Employment

Apprentice

Winner: Omar Naeem, Sky Retail

Achievement of Merit: Katie Pell, Xoserve

Beth Pittaway, Kate+Co

Meghan O'Rourke, Kent's Barbers

Lauran Wright, Six Nine Nine Creative Hair Design

Trainee

Joint Winners: Hannah Clarke, John Lewis

Paulina Czapiewska, BNP Paribas

Highly Commended: Melissa Locke, QualitySolicitors Davisons

Matthew Oakey, Phoebus Software

Fundraising or Community Project

Mad Hatter's Children's Charity

Hospitality & Leisure

Winner: The White Swan

Highly Commended: Crowne Plaza Solihull