Bicester housebuilder Greencore Homes is the overall winner of the 2026 Cherwell Business Awards. Banbury United in the Community took the charity prize.
Greencore Homes, the Bicester housebuilder, is the overall winner of the 2026 Cherwell Business Awards. It also won the Innovation Award. North South Wines took two prizes, the Large Business and Sustainable Business awards.
Winners were announced at a gala dinner at The Chesterton Hotel on Friday 18 September. More than 200 guests attended. The awards published the full list on 21 September, and Cherwell District Council, the headline sponsor, repeated it on 24 September.
This was the 14th year of the awards, with nine categories plus the overall prize.
The 2026 winners
| Award | Winner | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Winner | Greencore Homes | Norbar |
| Innovation | Greencore Homes | Oxtec Developments |
| Large Business | North South Wines | SE-Solicitors |
| Sustainable Business | North South Wines | Banbury and District Chamber of Commerce |
| Charity and Community | Banbury United in the Community | Bicester Village |
| Apprentice of the Year | Robin Underwood, Hook Norton Brewery | Siemens Healthineers |
| Business Person of the Year | Carl Boswell, CS Boswell Independent Funeral Services | Whitley Stimpson |
| New Business | The Sense of Hearing | OJI Marketing Ltd |
| Small Business | Pea Green Physio Ltd | Bicester Vision and Wednesday Business Club |
| Town Centre | Bicester Friday Market | Cherwell Business Awards |
Greencore Homes makes its houses at a factory in Bicester. Its registered office is on Charbridge Way, according to Companies House.
Hook Norton Brewery, where this year’s apprentice winner works, is about eight miles south-west of Banbury. The brewery also hosted the launch of the 2026 awards in March.
Who else was in the running
The awards named three finalists in each category on 20 July. The other shortlisted names included:
- Apprentice: Aleks Stoyce of SS Auto Tech and Rachael O’Mara of E P Barrus
- New Business: Intake Talent and Middle Aston Pet Supplies
- Small Business: Evolution Reptiles and Logicom Hub Ltd
- Large Business: Hook Norton Brewery and Live Wire Event Solutions Ltd
- Innovation: FitnessGenes and Oxartis Ltd
- Sustainable Business: Beyond Carbon Associates and Tugo Food Ltd
- Town Centre: Lone Wolf Comedy Club and Stanley’s Sweets and Treats Ltd
- Charity and Community: ACE Training Ltd and StarterMotor
A tribute to Ben Jackson
The evening opened with the Becky Moyce Tribute Award. It went to Ben Jackson, who died earlier this year after an illness. His daughter accepted it on his behalf.
The awards describe him as a founding member of Bicester Vision and of Wednesday Business Club, and a former President of Bicester Chamber of Commerce. He called himself the “Satnav for business owners”.
Money for the charity finalists
Guests gave donations on the night for the three Charity and Community finalists, and more have come in since. Bicester Village, the category sponsor, will match the total.
The split has been set in advance:
- Banbury United in the Community: 50%
- ACE Training: 25%
- StarterMotor: 25%
The awards say the final amount will be confirmed shortly. We will add it here when it is published.
What it means for you
If you run a business in the district, the 2027 awards are already being planned. The organisers ask anyone who wants to take part to email admin@cherwellbusinessawards.co.uk. Entries for 2026 opened in March, so expect a similar timetable next year.
For more business news from around the district, see our Banbury planning news page, which tracks the applications behind new shops and sites.
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