Ten Torfaen businesses won awards at the first Torfaen and Monmouthshire Business Awards.

There were 13 categories in total, including Employer of the Year award, which was won by Safran Seats, based in Cwmbran.

The award ceremony was held in Abergavenny, with next year’s awards due to be held in Torfaen.

The Torfaen winners were:

• Young Business Person of the Year:  Leah Kellly from Cwmbran runs a small artisan fibre arts business.
• Employer of the Year: Safran Seats is in the aerospace industry and employs 83,000 globally. The company creates premium seats that can often be found in first and business class planes across the world.
• Entrepreneur of the Year: Kelli Aspland and Laura Waters -Solar Buddies. Faced with the problem of how to ensure their children could apply sunscreen when not in their care, Kelli and Laura created, patented and marketed the world’s first child-friendly sunscreen applicator.
• Financial and Professional Services Business of the Year: Quote Detective is an owner-managed  business offering solutions to those who can’t otherwise obtain insurance from the typical market.
• Green Business of the Year: Zero Waste Torfaen is a refill shop in Cwmbran offering a sustainable, plastic-free shopping experience and is a local hub for the community.
• International Business of the Year: Frog Bikes is a family-owned company which designs and manufactures lightweight bicycles for children. Frog Bikes sell their products worldwide through international bike stores.
• SME of the year: Freight Logistics Solutions is headquartered in Pontypool and is a digital freight forwarding company that provides trucks, vans and bespoke cargo solutions to more than 500 customers across the UK.
• Third Sector Organisation of the Year: National Star creates environments where young people and adults with disabilities are supported with skills, opportunities and the confidence they need to live their lives independently and to the full.
• Tourism and Hospitality Business of the Year: Blaenafon Cheddar Company produces handmade, waxed cheddar Truckles. Based in neighbouring premises, the business has a dairy and retail area. They are currently working with Visit Britain to lead tourists through a flavour trail and have achieved protected status for their Caerphilly Cheese.