CONSUMER champion Checkatrade is hosting an exclusive event on Saturday to acknowledge the success of the company.

The company is based in Selsey and is well known as a leading online resource for tradespeople.

Checkatrade Celebration will be held on Saturday July 22 at Brighton’s Metropole Hotel where the staff and family members will come together to celebrate.

The evening is being presented by CEO Kevin Byrne who has invited all of his employees to attend the free event and to thank them for their ongoing hard work and contribution to the company over the years.

A three-course meal will be available on the night which will be followed by a live band performance and a disco.

There will also be a raffle with all proceeds going to charity.

The night promises to be a great event for all involved as Checkatrade celebrate their incredible success story.

When entrepreneur Kevin Byrne first established the company in 1998 no-one could have predicted the incredible growth that followed.

Kevin said: “This promises to be a fantastic event.

“I wanted to reward everyone who works at Checkatrade for their hard work, dedication and commitment over the years as we approach our 20th anniversary.

“Last year we saw the company continue to flourish and I wanted to thank everyone for helping with this ongoing success.”

The firm now generates £1.5 billion for UK trades every year.

The idea of Checkatrade came to Kevin after he witnessed a hurricane destroy his local town of Selsey.

Noticing a rise in rogue traders following the destruction, Kevin created Checkatrade so that people who needed a trusted tradesperson could go to a place they knew they could rely on.

Another factor they will be celebrating is that the company now has more than 25,000 members who all undergo strict background checks to ensure they meet Checkatrade’s high standards.

This means it has the largest online resource of reputable tradespeople in the UK.

All members are subject to review by the general public for every job they do enhancing Checkatrade’s credibility in the industry.

To date more than three million feedback reviews have been published, something that will also be acknowledged at the celebration.

Checkatrade helps combat the UK’s rogue trader problem by continuously vetting and monitoring local tradespeople such as builders, plumbers and electricians as well as service providers.

Checkatrade has grown to employ 288 staff with a turnover in excess of £14.5 million.

It has more than 25,000 genuine trade members, growing by an average of 300 new members every month.

Over the past 12 months Checkatrade-certified tradesmen carried out a combined estimated total of £2.7 billion worth of work.