Eight local Basingstoke businesses were voted as being one of the best in their category in the UK by their customers.

Over 30,000 businesses took part and five of these eight businesses were also ranked in the Top 100 in the country – as part of The Best of National ‘14 Days of Love’ campaign.To mark the occasion, Mayor of Basingstoke & Deane Cllr Brian Gurden recently visited each business individually and presented the owners with their awards.Among the winners were The Secret Garden for third best UK Jewellery Shop and The Lime Leaf, for Best Thai Restaurant in the UK.