REPRESENTATIVES from Worcestershire and Herefordshire's business community flocked to an awards ceremony celebrating the crème de la crème of the area's companies.

More than 400 invited guests attended the glittering Chamber Of Commerce Awards 2006 on Thursday evening, sponsored by the Worcester News, in the picturesque surroundings of Birtsmorton Court, set in the rolling Worcestershire countryside.

Guests in glamorous evening dresses and dinner suits were greeted at the 15th Century moated grange with drinks in the ornate garden to the strains of soothing classical music, taking shelter from the sweltering summer heat under a canopy.

This was before they were invited to take their seats for a mouth-watering three course dinner beneath a giant marquee on the other side of the garden, decorated for the occasion with hanging baskets of fragrant and colourful flowers.

Generous businessfolk then dug deep to help raise a total of £2,855 for Cancer Research at an after-dinner charity raffle featuring an array of prizes.

By the end of the evening the wine was flowing as the best of the two counties' businesses were honoured for their exceptional efforts in a spectacular ceremony hosted by the Chamber's chief executive Christine Jones and its patron Steve Jones, the managing director of Forum Print Management.

To crown it all off, stand-up-comic Bob `The Cat' Bevan entertained the guests with an after-dinner speech before Worcester-band China Blue had them up and dancing at the end of what proved a night to be remembered.