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Amanda Chalmers, has been listed among the SME Midlands Enterprise Awards winners for her PR agency.

Chalmers News PR was named as The Best PR & Marketing Agency in the West Midlands 2026 when the roll of honour weas revealed last week.

The news brings Amanda’s impressive national awards tally to six, since launching her Warwick-based business almost eight years ago after five years as the first female editor of independent The Stratford Herald.

Awards Coordinator Daniel Griffin, said: “For nearly a decade, the Midlands Enterprise Awards have shone a spotlight on the SMEs that form the backbone of the regional economy. From ambitious start-ups to long established local champions, this programme exists to recognise the innovation, resilience, and determination that small and medium-sized enterprises bring to the Midlands every single day.

“SMEs do far more than drive revenue. They create jobs, strengthen communities, and push industries forward with fresh thinking and fearless ideas. These awards are our way of saying that their work matters and deserves to be celebrated loudly.

“The aim of this programme is to champion this varied region and celebrate the businesses it encompasses, and we believe we have once again done this in the 2026 instalment of the awards.

They added: “Both the West Midlands and the East Midlands are represented, and whether a business is a bustling enterprise in the heart of a major city or a one-person operation in a small town, we are delighted to recognise all of their contributions to both their industry and the local communities.

“Here at SME News, we pride ourselves on the validity of our awards and the winners we select for them. Awards are given solely on merit, provided to those deserving of acclaim for their hard work and ingenuity.

The former journalist’s 30 years in the regional press, culminated with a stint in the Stratford-Upon-Avon Herald editor’s chair between 2014 and 2018, before launching the agency, which specialises in affordable cross-sector PR for small businesses and start-ups as well as charities and not-for-profits.

It also follows hot on the heels of her recently celebrating being named among the Top 10 Businesses From Home in the UK Small Business Awards, as well as Influential Woman In Business in the Innervision Media Awards; and receiving the Ladies First Excellence In Media Award in 2023 and 2025 and the Woman Who Awards ‘Achieves In Media’ category gong in 2024.

Amanda worked on newsdesks in and around Warwickshire, including the former Nuneaton Tribune and Rugby Advertiser, and, as deputy editor at the Daventry Express and Buckingham and Winslow Advertiser series before joining the Herald.

She said: “I’m incredibly proud to once again be recognised nationally for my work and am so grateful to those who continue to nominate me, support me and champion my success.

“Awards are wonderful – and all the recent accolades are testament to the hard work that’s gone in to building the agency from the ground up – but the most rewarding part of my own journey of growth as an entrepreneur, is the countless number of small business owners and charity founders it’s brought me into contact with. It’s their energy, vision and drive that inspire me to succeed every day. And long may that continue!”

To learn more about the Midlands Enterprise Awards and access the full list of winners visit HERE.

A Coventry-based charity is appealing to the public to support an emergency response appeal following the flash flooding in Nepal, which has so far claimed more than 1,300 lives.

Feed The Hungry UK are working with their partners in the stricken area of South Asia to supply food, aid and transportation for hundreds of families who lost of everything in the devastation, last week.

More than 5,000 people are now missing after powerful floodwaters and debris swept through a Himalayan valley, wiping out entire settlements, destroying roads, bridges, buildings and communication lines, and cutting off many remote communities. It is believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse which registered a tremor with a magnitude of 5.2.

Pastor Ruben Rasaili is running a team on the ground in Nepal to help coordinate Feed The Hungry’s rescue mission, which has been focusing on supply and distribution of food packs, feeding more than 1,200 a day.

Reporting from the flood sites of Nuwakot and Trishuli, he said this week: “I saw thousands of houses swept away, and people crying for help. They don’t have food, they don’t have clothes, they don’t have a place to live. Even now, we are carrying some of the women who have lost their family members – we rescued them, and we’re taking them to Kathmandu to help them. It is such a miserable situation.

“Daily about 20 helicopters are rescuing injured people and dead bodies in north of Kathmandu in Nuwakot and Rasuwa district. More than 18,000 houses have been swept away, and thousands of people have lost everything they have including business, houses, children or family members, cattle, vehicles, everything.”

He added: “Those who survived are finding shelter in a public hall or with some families in the village. We found some families who had been starving for three days, as well as many injured people we are taking to tent hospitals.

“We need to provide food supplies, water aid and so many other necessities that people need to survive so if you would like to get involved, please donate.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Sunday it has released $150,000 from the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) to support the needs of the communities impacted by the flash floods which they have described as ‘one of the worst tragedies in the country in recent times.’

Efforts are continuing to rescue workers, potentially in the hundreds, believed to be trapped in Nepalese hydropower tunnels.

Feed The Hungry is an international Christian humanitarian organisation committed to fighting hunger due to poverty, war, famine and natural disasters. The charity works to reduce world hunger by establishing feeding programmes and supporting disaster relief.

With its partner organisations, since 1987, Feed The Hungry have globally assisted in feeding over 650,000 children every day in 30 countries.

Feed The Hungry CEO, Canon Gavin Kibble MBE said: “Nepal is no stranger to catastrophic events. Feed The Hungry UK first became involved with supporting the country after the earthquake of 2015. We have supported Pastor Ruben with his work within the poorest communities by providing support to dig wells, food, and resources to improve many children’s education.

“Eleven years later in face of unimaginable apocalyptic destruction, this partnership has enabled Ruben to be amongst the first on the scene, able to provide food, water and tents. Donations from around the world are providing a lifeline and hope to so many people impacted by this disaster.”

Feed The Hungry are asking for public support:

• £10 could provide a family with rice for a week
• £20 could provide dahl, sugar and cooking oil for a family
• £35 could provide a family with a full package of emergency food and clean water
• £65 could provide an emergency tent for a family who has lost their home

Every gift, large or small, will go directly to help Ruben reach families in Nepal with the basics they need to survive the days and weeks ahead. Donate HERE.

A local holistic beauty therapist has opened the doors to a new wellness space in Wellesbourne marking a huge expansion just 18 months after the launch of her business.

Karin Minton, who runs A Blissful Balance, has taken over the empty School Road unit formerly occupied by Wellesbourne Parish Council for 13 years.

Here, she has grown her team of practitioners who will offer a menu of treatments for the body and mind under one roof, including massage, reflexology, advanced facials, reiki healing, lymphatic drainage, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, sound healing and counselling and therapeutic coaching.

Karin prides herself on opening her doors to the ‘Unseen Woman’ – and clients navigating their own traumas, from operations, loss, divorce, perimenopause, menopause, mental health and chronic illness, to escaping domestic violence.

And it’s with this in mind that she is also using the opening to support a local cause close to her heart, The Esther Project.

The spacious salon also offers five treatment rooms as well as space for workshops, women-only events and opportunities for connection.

It’s proud chapter for the former Stratford Girls’ Grammar School student who last year walked away from a 21-year career as a social worker to open her first clinic, in nearby Warwick Road, and the business continues to play a key role in her own journey of recovery after facing trauma, loss and divorce.

Indeed, Karin’s business is rooted in a very personal mission – to give every woman the chance to feel ‘truly seen,’ valued and supported.

These ambitions are driven by her passion for supporting women through every stage of life, including motherhood, divorce, loss, neurodiversity, menopause, anxiety, grief, low confidence, retirement and times of change, with treatments and support tailored to the individual.

She said: “Opening A Blissful Balance has been a huge step for me, and I’m so excited to finally welcome women through the doors of our new venue. What began as one treatment room less than two years ago has grown into a women-only space with five treatment rooms and an area for workshops, classes and events.

“My aim has always been to create somewhere women of all ages and backgrounds can come and feel genuinely seen, listened to and supported – whether they are visiting for a treatment, attending an event or simply taking some much-needed time for themselves.”

She added: “I’m incredibly proud to be bringing together a wonderful group of independent female therapists and wellbeing professionals. I feel really lucky and grateful and am loving being part of an of an industry that is starting to really push forward for women. The bit that I’m loving the most is about the authenticity of being true to ourselves and trying to avoid social pressures of how they feel women should be.

“I stay true to what I believe in. I put on the treatments I think that my client base will really like. Some of the women who come to me are going through a really difficult time, some just want to just come and relax. The aim is to create somewhere that’s just a really happy place for women to come to, even if they come with lots of issues and challenges and sadness.”

People can be among the first to take a look inside the new venue, which opened to clients this week (w/c August 31^st) at a special launch event on Saturday, 19th September from 11am until 2pm. Here, there will be the chance to experience complimentary mini treatments, enjoy refreshments, meet the therapists, browse a selection of wellness stalls and, for the first 50 customers, take home a goodie bag.

There are also great prizes to be won in a raffle supporting The Esther Project, a Leamington-based Community Interest Company supporting women across Warwickshire facing multiple and complex challenges, including domestic abuse, homelessness, trauma, poor mental health and addiction.

Karin said: “Our vision is to create a calm, supportive environment where women can discover trusted professionals, enjoy exceptional treatments and feel part of a community that puts their wellbeing first.

“Whether you’re already part of our community or discovering us for the first time, we’d love to welcome you. This is your opportunity to explore our new space, meet our wonderful team of therapists and discover the treatments and wellbeing services available under one roof – and celebrate this new chapter with us.”

Karin is still actively looking for more women to bring their skills and businesses to the venue. Contact her at: karin@ablissfulbalance.co.uk

Now open at 2 School Road, Wellesbourne, CV35 9NA.
Visit HERE or call/message 07862 252624 to book. For more information about the Open Day visit HERE.

Meanwhile, A Blissful Balance is already celebrating recognition in a series of awards, as a finalist for Beauty Therapist of the Year at The Beauty Full Awards; Best Business in the UK Small Business category; Best Customer Experience category in the Stratford Herald Business & Tourism Awards and The Beauty Awards’ Beauty Excellence category. She was also a recent recipient of a Highly Recommended Award by Fresha. These Awards spotlight standout businesses, which promise quality, professionalism, and exceptional experiences.