A growing number of regional companies are expected to receive a prestigious Big Tick award at this year's Business in the Community's Awards for Excellence 2007.

The awards are the UK's most prestigious for recognising companies who integrate responsible business practice into their mainstream operations and as a result have a positive impact on society.

This year's awards will be presented at tomorrow's sell out celebration event in a big top at Himley Hall, Dudley, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and with support from Hadley Group and Westfield. Twenty awards are to be presented on the evening with categories including the Man Group International Climate Change Award, the Adjust the Balance Work Life Balance Award and the Merrill Lynch Raising Achievement of Young People Award.

The Jubilee Award will also be presented this year, in celebration of Business in the Community's 25th anniversary and 10th year of the awards, to companies who can demonstrate impact over a decade.

The Prince's Ambassador Award will also be presented to an individual whose leadership and commitment to responsible business has resulted in changes and improvements inside their own company and who have also inspired other organisations to take action.

David Darlaston, Regional Director of Business in the Community, said: "The higher number of entries and, more importantly, those achieving the Big Tick standard, only prove how responsible business practices are becoming more important to businesses in the region and across the UK where the number of entries has risen from 141 in 2002 to 425 this year."

David Waller, Regional Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers and incumbent Prince's Ambassador for the West Midlands, added: "As a previous Big Tick winner, PricewaterhouseCoopers is proud to be associated with this year's awards event.

The number of Big Ticks and special recognition awards being celebrated this year is testament to the range and number of businesses in the region that are meeting the benchmark of excellence in the field of responsible business. I would like to not only offer my congratulations to all the winners but also to all those that entered and stood up to be counted."

Companies that have been shortlisted for national recognition will go on to the national awards celebration taking place in London in July.