The winners of the 26th Sussex Business Awards were announced at The Grand Brighton. Some 500 of the county's leading business people gathered to celebrate business excellence across the region, with 16 awards presented by Simon Evans, the comedian. Evans, who comes from Hove, presented Sussex Company of the Year to Blue Forest, a company based in Eridge Park that builds spectacular tree houses for private clients - including celebrities such as Madonna and Natasha Kaplinsky. Gary Peters, founder of ICP Search and LoveLocalJobs. com, was awarded the title of Entrepreneur of the Year.