Maidstone’s High Street Heroes Awards winners announced

The winners of the Maidstone High Street Heroes Awards 2025 were announced, Thursday 13th November. The Awards are organised by Gullands Solicitors in partnership with One Maidstone Bid and Metro Bank to say thank you to Maidstone’s high street business owners and their employees who have provided excellent customer service throughout the year.

Thirty-two town centre businesses and were nominated by members of the public along with 12 employees and the winners are:

Café/Coffee Shop Winner:
Café Beck

Pub/Micro-brewery Winner:
Craft Brewed

Pub/Micro-brewery runner up:
Market House

Restaurant Winner:
Frédéric Bistro

Fast food/Takeaway Winner:
Chunky’s Sandwich Bar

Charity shop/Charity Winner:
Handmade with love by Making Miracles

Charity shop/Charity runners up:
Maidstone Street Pastors
Making a Different to Maidstone
Circle of Friends
Mid Kent Mind

Hair/beauty/Tattoo Winner:
Man Cave

Hair/beauty/Tattoo runners up:

Spirits Health and Beauty
Rush
Bisi beauty
Hollywood nails and beauty

Retail Winner:
N2 Sweet labs

Retail runners up:
Salamander
House of Meat
Mr T’s Jewellers
Grimhilda’s Kitchen
R&B Fashion accessories
Home Media
Choice Carpets

Entertainment/Leisure Winner:
Kentish Lady River Cruises

Entertainment/Leisure runners up:
Bierkeller
Ovation
Creative Maidstone Community Arts Hub

Financial/Professional Services/Property Winner:
The Health Hut

Financial/Professional Services/Property runners up:
Marcus Niblett and Suzanne therapies
Express cabs

Individual employee Winner:
Jade from Mid Kent Mind

Individual employee runners up:
Kasia from Wildwood
Tom from the Deaf Cat
Cora from Making a difference to Maidstone
Emily from Rush
Barry (Baz) from The Mall security
Carlone from Salamander
Nigel from Maidstone Street pastors
Hollie from Ovation
Danny from Ovation
Amanda from Mid Kent Mind
Ulric from Frédéric Bistro
Jake from Mancave
Janice from Urban Blue Bus

Judges Award:

The judges award went to the Circle of Friends.

Paul Mannering, Business Manager at Gullands, who hosted the event at Maidstone United Football Club, said: “It was wonderful to see so many local business owners and their staff come together to celebrate the fantastic work happening on our high street. The Gullands High Street Heroes Awards are all about showing the public’s appreciation for the excellent customer service that makes Maidstone’s town centre such a great place to visit. We’re proud to support and champion our fellow high street businesses.”

“The best part about these awards is that they’re driven by the public, we never know who will be nominated. Each of the businesses nominated have done something truly amazing over the past year that has made a customer stop and say thank you, and that’s what truly makes them heroes of our high street.”

Public voting took place throughout September 2025, and the award nominations were judged in October by a team from Gullands, One Maidstone Bid Team and Metro Bank. No one went away empty handed, as there were winners for each category and then everyone nominated received a certificate.