I have had the privilege of working with and knowing some great businesses in and around Wokingham. I know all of these personally and recommend them wholeheartedly.

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Amarone Interiors - An interior design consultancy run by the very creative, thoughtful and insightful Deborah Law. Deborah is passionate about good looking, functional design and if she can’t find what she wants for a project, she’ll know someone who can make it.

Campbellprint - I’m a recent customer of this printing company but I am very impressed with the quality of their work and their fantastic customer service. It may have been a special effort because I needed the job urgently but they received the artwork by email one afternoon and delivered the leaflets the next morning at 09:00. They are lovely people, too.

Citroemech - I’ve known Ray Cook, the owner/proprietor for many years and he’s looked after most of my cars. He’s a thoughtful and very honest bloke and I know that if he says a job needs doing, then it does. He continually improves his workshop and customer waiting areas and, given the limitations of the premises, they have to be some of the best in the area. There’s comfortable seating for customers with a desk for laptops, free WiFi, free hot drinks and a viewing area of the workshop.

Creative Catering - I had the pleasure of working with this company at an event I was shooting and they created a kitchen from nowhere (well, it came out of the back of a truck) and catered – in some style – for something close to 100 guests. The guests were waited on for several courses and then served drinks throughout the evening. It was a very impressive operation to watch – partly because it never seemed like a temporary set-up – it all worked smoothly and efficiently. I imagine that they could turn the middle of nowhere into a thriving, vibrant event.

Edmunds Tyres and Exhausts - I’ve known Dave Edmunds, the owner for a long time and generally go to him for tyres and exhausts. With Edmunds, you can generally just turn up without an appointment and get seen to. Dave is another honest guy and if he says your tyres are illegal, they are.

Flawless Flooring – A great family business run by Maryanne and Mark Clark – who impress me with their knowledge and fairness. When they re-floored by studio, the job was done very swiftly and cleanly and I’m delighted with the results.

Freeborn Citroen - This is an odd one. I’m not recommending Freeborn as such – although they’re all very nice people there – but one salesman, Adam Ososki. Adam has probably sold me and my wife our last five cars and he’s a thoroughly nice bloke to deal with. He’s honest and always puts together the best deal he can.

Sitebites - The most comprehensive and thoroughly well put together Web site designers, creators and hosting company I’ve met. They have a range of packages to suit all sizes of budget and needs, they know what they’re talking about and they consider everything. There is so much more to putting a useful, working web site together these days than just stitching a few pages together but these guys have it sewn up.

Sheila – Hair and Make-up Artist - I’ve worked with Sheila at a few events and her make-up work is dazzling. I would recommend her without reservation.

Top Embroidery - One of the UK’s largest and probably the most conscientious embroidery, printing and branding company. I’ve known the owner/proprietor for many years and have watched him build this company from nothing. When I need to be identifiable as the photographer at events, I wear shirts with my logo neatly embroidered on supplied by Top Embroidery.

Viezu Tuning - I know one of the managers at this car technology company and I’ve seen the results of his work and it’s good. One of the things Viezu do is reprogram the engine management chip in your car to improve fuel efficiency, improve performance – or a bit of both. It’s a fairly quick process but the results can be quite remarkable. The head office is in Birmingham but if you’d like me to put you in touch with the local manager, please just drop me an email.

Vision First - Initially a window cleaning company, Vision First has expanded into property maintenance under Trevor’s careful management. His team produce very tidy work and his attention to customer service is second to none. I would thoroughly recommend them.