Industry Awards For Two Local Businesses

From romance-themed gifts to booking budget outdoor accommodation

Two Chiswick businesses, one dealing with love-themed stationary and cards, and the other with booking open-air accommodation, have won industry awards recently.

Martha Keith, who founded Love Give Ink in 2013, has won the online marketplace start-up success of the year award from Notonthehighstreet.com, the successful online gift business, which is based in Richmond.

And Daniel Yates, who set up Pitchup.com, based in Power Road, is also celebrating winning the 'Best Budget Place To Stay' award from the Independent newspaper, for his online booking site for outdoor accommodation.

Martha produces personalised products ranging from 'boxes of love' to secret message greeting cards- all around the theme of love. The items are hand made by a team of locals at Paint HQ in Chiswick. Martha left a career in healthcare to set up her business, inspired by gifts by she and her other half had given each other. She decided to create ways to help others say ' I Love You' or show that they care.

Chiswick based outdoor accommodation specialist, Pitchup.com saw off strong competition to pick up the ‘Best Budget Place to Stay’ Award at the inaugural Independent Travel Readers Awards ceremony, which took place at the Corinthia Hotel in London on Wednesday 7th October.  The Award was presented to Pitchup.com by The Independent’s Travel Correspondent and TV Broadcaster, Simon Calder and The Independent’s Head of Travel, Sophie Lam.

Daniel Yates, founder of Pitchup.com said "This award recognises Pitchup.com’s dedication to putting the camping and caravanning sector, largely made up of small independent business owners, on the map for budget travellers, enabling them to search and book inspiring places to stay, from tent pitches costing as little as £2.50pppn to luxurious glamping options.  The quality of the accommodation offered by Pitchup.com means people can enjoy a low cost holiday without compromising on standards”.

The business was launched in 2009 and now employs 24 people with 1,000 bookings a day. The site offers a free guide to all types of outdoor accommodation in sixteen countries, with over 5,800 campsites and holiday parks. www.pitchup.com

Daniel’s family have been in the holiday park industry since 1970.  From childhood until the age of 25 he helped out at the two holiday parks in north Devon.   While at university he set up the park’s website, www.ruda.co.uk, which took half of its bookings online by 2002. 

October 9, 2015