WORCESTER company New Hope, which has its headquarters in Wells Road, has scooped a major business award. It has won the adversity business of the year categiory in the Startups Awards 2012. The winners were announced in a ceremony at Kensington Roof Gardens in London attended by major business figures from across the UK, including Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne.

The awards mark the success of businesses in the UK that have been trading for less than three years.

Jean Wilson, founder and chief executive of New Hope, said: “This has been an amazing year for New Hope and winning the Startups Adversity Award was a great honour.

“Its reputation will lend greater credibility to our work and it is great to recognise all those who support us.”

New Hope is a small project which offers daytime respite care to families who have children with disabilities.

Its aim is to give disabled children access to community facilities during school holidays and Saturdays throughout the year, and while the children are enjoying their leisure time parents and carers are able to have regular breaks from their caring responsibilities.

Mr Bannatyne led the judging panel alongside a number of other highly successful entrepreneurs and business experts including James Hurley, enterprise editor for the Daily Telegraph, and Julie Meyer, of Ariadne Capital.

Highlighting the diversity of start-up businesses across the UK, other winners hail included luxury holiday and hotel provider Secret Escapes, online retailer Made.com and sustainable building solutions firm PropertECO.

The overall title of NatWest Startups Business of the Year went to Abcodia Ltd, a London-based biomarker validation company.

David Lester, founder of Startups.co.uk, said: “As one in three start-up businesses don’t make it beyond the first year of trading, we are proud to recognise those that negotiate these early hurdles at the Startups Awards.

“Each year we unearth innovative new businesses representing the unique diversity the start-up community has to offer, which show that, despite the recession, British innovation is still booming.

“This year was no exception with many excellent entries and New Hope exemplified this, impressing judges with the meaningful impact it has on the local community.”