A Host of awards was given to successful businesses at the Gloucestershire Ambassadors Millennium Dinner, held on the 21st November 2007 at Cheltenham Racecourse. This year four awards were presented to businesses and organisations whose work has been outstanding.

The Furniss Cup for a large organisation was presented to the National Star College at Ullenwood, near Cheltenham which has served disabled young adults for 40 years.

The centre, which offers residential care for 148 severely disabled students, wants to raise £15.4 million to develop its Ullenwood site.

The Bookcheck Cup for a medium business or organisation went to Avon Metals of Bristol Road, Gloucester - which has seen exports increase by 88 per cent in three years and is no stranger to awards.

Last spring the company received the Queen's Award for Enterprise for international trade. Then in October Avon Metals won the international trade category of the 2007 Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo Business Awards while managing director Steven Munnoch was named as Young Business Person of the Year.

It has recently become the latest county company to gain Beacon status.

The Chargrove Trophy for a small business or organisation went to PPD Solutions at Stroud for its outstanding success in providing health and safety courses to businesses.

The Willans Bowl for an individual was presented to Roger Budgeon, owner of the Green Shop at Bisley who employs 50 people providing a range of environmentally friendly products.

The guest speaker was Simon Keynes, Professor of Anglo Saxon history at Cambridge University who gave a fascinating and often humorous talk on Gloucestershire's 1,000 year history.