Ace Places recognised at the Small Business Growth Awards

Last night, Ace Places was invited to The Randolph Hotel in Oxford for a rather special Small Business Growth Awards evening, hosted by HSBC and the Federation of Small Businesses.

It was a beautifully intimate gathering of just 50 people — founders, finalists, FSB folk, HSBC big wigs and plenty of brilliant small business energy in the room.

And then came the moment that made the sequins feel very worthwhile: Ace Places was named runner-up in the Community category for South and Thames Valley and it's one we'll cherish.

Community has never been a neat little box we tick. It’s the whole reason Ace Places exists. From the very first Henley pack to Marlow and the new towns now starting to shuffle into place, the idea has always been to celebrate the independents, charities, events and hidden gems that make local places feel like home.

Each deck is part guide, part game, part keepsake and a pocket-sized love letter to a town. While the trophies are, admittedly, rather marvellous, they’re not the real reason we enter awards.

Awards help us spread the word about the new marketing concept Ace Places presents: a beautifully illustrated, community-powered way for local businesses to be seen, discovered and remembered. They help us share the story beyond our own towns, meet people who believe in local places as much as we do, and find more brilliant people to bring on the journey, including those who might one day lead their own Ace Places pack.

Next stop? In June, we’re off to the UK StartUp Awards final, where Ace Places has been shortlisted for Consumer Products of the Year in the South East. After winning Best Marketing, PR & Advertising StartUp in the South East at last year’s awards — our very first award — it feels rather special to be heading back in a completely different category.

Spot the most excited award-winner in the group... #fistpump #celebratethewin

Now, we're not ones to boast but this is the fourth trophy we're adding to our collection. Our others include: 

• Best Marketing, PR & Advertising StartUp in the South East – UK StartUp Awards 2025 (Winner, 24 June)

• Excellence in Innovation – Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2025 (Winner, 2 July; also finalist for Most Promising New Business)

• StartUp Business Woman of the Year – Berkshire Business Awards 2025 (Winner, 16 July)

Read all about them and if you're wondering, we don't enter these awards as an ego boost. We want to spread the word about Ace Places as we want to find more people to come on the journey with us. Finding the right people to lead packs in their towns means we can create packs locals can be proud of and visitors can find the best spots to enjoy. We're taking on the world, one pack of cards at a time!

#HSBC #FSB #SmallBusinessGrowthAwards #SupportingSmallBusinesses