A WELL-KNOWN shirtmaker and tailor has said it was an “absolute privilege” to be recognised by the town, after winning a hat trick of top accolades at the Cirencester Business Awards 2015.

Tom Wharton, owner of Barrington Ayre, Cirencester, took to the stage three times at the annual awards ceremony hosted by Cirencester Chamber of Commerce in May.

The 37-year-old picked up an award for best retailer, was presented with second place for business of the year, and also awarded the ambassador of Cirencester accolade.

“It was a bit of a shock on the night,” explained Tom. “We knew that Florence Beetlestone, who organised the Cirencester March Hare Festival, was in the running so I was not expecting to win the ambassador award at all.

“There were some big names in there on the night and it was a real privilege to be recognised by the town.”

In the last year Tom has taken his tailoring skills to the studios of Radio 1 and to India and Australia – where his clothes are worn by cricket broadcasting stars David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd and Michael Vaughan.

He has also been chosen by watch maker TW Steel to represent the UK in its international marketing campaign for Slim Line watches.

Tom, whose business is based in the Market Place in Cirencester, also played a big part in the Cirencester March Hare Festival, which saw more than 50 decorative hare models dotted around the town. Tom took two white hare models around the country to be signed by some of his celebrity clients including Ant and Dec and Alan Shearer.

Tom has been running Barrington Ayre since 2007 and set up sister company ShirtSmart, an online subscription firm where customers can order bespoke shirts, in late 2013.

As well as having celebrity clients and guests travelling from as far as Norway and Australia to visit him, Tom also believes in charity and recently got involved with the Star College for special needs students in Ullenwood to host a golf day to raise money for a new development of the college facilities.

Barrington Ayre is above Goldsmiths in Market Place.

Every week the Standard will be showcasing a different winner from this year’s Cirencester Business Awards. Pick up next week’s edition for a profile piece on Customer Service star Cafe Mosaic.