The finalists in this year’s Swale Business Awards have been chosen.

After months of encouraging borough firms to put themselves forward and then examining their entries, the judges have chosen 12 companies.

The following stand a chance of winning £1,000: A2 Tyre Supplies Limited; AbBaltis Limited; Baileys Coffee Shop and Sandwich Bar; Blossoms Care Services Limited; Chalkwell Garage & Coach Hire Limited; Cucumber Catering; Entity Group Limited; Hythe House Support; JP Stone UK Limited; Judd’s Folly Hotel; Medichem and NBC Bird & Pest Solutions.

An awards evening will be held in October where it will be disclosed who has won small business of the year; customer service and commitment; employer of the year and Swale business of the year.

The other firms who entered were: CIPS; Computer Rescue; Country Brides of Faversham; DDS (International) Limited; Friday Field Stables; Ginger Hair Design; K9 Nanny Pet Services; Kitchens & Bathrooms; Lotty’s Flowers; Nova IT Solutions; Reardon Properties; Sittingbourne Balloons; Sparkles; Insurance Manager; Entity Group; Prestige Beauty and Hair; and the Cleaning Fairy.

Paul Price, partner of marketing company IMM-UK, based at the Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, and chairman of judges, said: “We had an extremely difficult time selecting the 12 finalists for this year’s Swale Business Awards.

“The entries were not only of an extremely high calibre, but this year saw the highest amount of entries ever.

“After assessing all entrants, the judges feel that the finalists they selected best reflect the quality and diversity of the businesses operating in Swale.

“Now they face the even more challenging task of selecting the winners.”

This year’s sponsors are: Kent Science Park, McNealy Brown, University of Greenwich at Medway, IMM-UK, HSBC, Swale council, UHY Hacker Young, Thomson Snell and Passmore, Invicta Financial Services, Institute of Directors and the KM Group.