National Fish & Chip Awards to salute local business heroes with new award

The National Fish & Chip Awards, the prestigious annual ceremony honouring the best fish and chip businesses and individuals, is today announcing the finalists for the Community Engagement Award, an all-new addition to this year’s category line-up.

In a bid to highlight the often-overlooked role fish and chip shops play in towns and cities across the nation, this new accolade has been created to honour those striving to make a difference in the community, embodying the heart and ‘sole’ of their local area.

An industry judging panel, comprising senior representatives from across the fish and chip sector, have appraised and scored all submitted entries. As pillars of community life, the businesses have demonstrated their fantastic efforts in providing friendly spaces for people to meet, right through to supporting local causes, charities, and initiatives.

The three finalists proceeding to the next round of online interviews and then heading to London for the awards ceremony on 26 February to find out if they are the recipient of the inaugural award, are:

Devon

Pier Point, Torquay

Pier Point pledged to raise £6,400 for Rowcroft Hospice, a charity at the heart of its local community, that means so much to so many. To achieve this, the whole team was involved in finding creative ways to meet the target. This included ‘Invisible Chips’ being added to the menu, ‘ladies’ night, a Santa by the Sea event, sponsoring a tea towel designed by a local artist, a special edition of Torbay Monopoly and a 15,000ft skydive. Additionally, Pier Point delivered complimentary fish and chips to the patients and staff at Rowcroft Hospice to show its support on National Fish & Chip Day.

London

Brockley’s Rock, Brockley

The chippy has created numerous transformative projects that have significantly enhanced both the local environment and community wellbeing. It spearheaded the resurfacing of the service road behind its premises, collaborating with sixteen neighbouring businesses, transforming it from a neglected, pest-attracting space into a cleaner, safer area for the local community. Brockley’s Rock also sponsors a variety of creative arts and culture initiatives, and community events.

Wales

Zero Plus, Cardiff

The most fruitful community-focused project for Zero Plus has been its educational workshops with school pupils, which have been teaching children essential environmental values, promoting responsible consumption, and creating awareness about sustainable business practices. By engaging young minds, the workshops have helped foster a culture of eco-consciousness while reinforcing the importance of local businesses adapting to sustainable practices. Other community collaborations Zero Plus has been involved in are the installation of a disability ramp, Easter egg hunt participation, litter picking, seasonal and other community events.

Organiser of the awards Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF), speaks about fish and chip shops being a staple of British life. “Fish and chip shops are much more than just places to enjoy a great meal – they are necessary, trusted hubs deeply embedded in the everyday lives within local communities.

“We’re excited to introduce the Community Engagement Award so that we can say ‘thank you’ for the amazing work so many businesses are passionate about and dedicated in doing to support their neighbourhoods. We’re really proud of all who entered as we’ve learned so much about the brilliant activities, like fundraisers, collaborations and sponsorships that they’re involved in.

“Also, warm and welcoming shops and restaurants draw people in to share food and conversation, we all know the power of a good chat and how it can lift spirits, spark ideas and build relations. Fish and chip shops are at the heart of UK communities and the sense of togetherness this brings is vital and needs encouraging.”

The category is sponsored by JFK, a leading fish producer with over 100 years of history in the Faroe Islands. It has vast resources and expertise, with a portfolio that includes sea-frozen ground fish from the North Atlantic and processed fish from Faroese waters.

Jógvan Hansen, sales and operations director at JFK, states: “We are happy at JFK to once again support the National Fish & Chip Awards in 2025. We are really excited about sponsoring the Community Engagement Award. We are excited to see how the winning candidate goes above and beyond to make a difference in the community, and there may be synergies with the winner that we can expand upon together.”

Join us for the unmissable National Fish & Chip Awards 2025 by securing your tickets here: https://thefishandchipawards.com/event-tickets/.

For more information and bits on the National Fish & Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com.