Celebrating 10 Years of thebestof Taunton and Bridgwater – A Decade of Loving Local!
November 2026 marks a very special milestone for thebestof Taunton and Bridgwater as we celebrate ten years since Grahame Rowlands began championing independent businesses, building relationships and helping local businesses Get Found and Get Noticed!
Ten years! Where on earth has the time gone?
Back in November 2016, Grahame Rowlands began his journey with thebestof Taunton and Bridgwater, driven by a passion for helping brilliant local businesses become better known.
Emma joined him in 2019, bringing her own business experience and organisational expertise to the growing enterprise.
A decade after Grahame first started, that passion is stronger than ever, and what began in Taunton and Bridgwater has grown into thebestof Somerset, a network of local business hubs supported by a friendly, knowledgeable team.
A National Network with Local at Its Heart
The story of thebestof began 20 years ago, growing into a nationally recognised and respected network with one simple purpose: helping great local businesses get the recognition they deserve.
Despite its national reach, thebestof remains firmly rooted in local communities, combining national recognition with genuine local knowledge and relationships.
Ten Years of Championing Local Businesses
Since 2016, we've supported a wonderful variety of independent businesses, from skilled trades and professional services to retailers and hospitality.
We've helped members tell their stories, showcase customer reviews, improve their online visibility and reach new customers.
But the most rewarding part has been the relationships we've built, celebrating successes, sharing news and supporting businesses through challenges.
Because thebestof has never been just about advertising. It's about people, relationships and thriving local communities.
Meet the People Behind the Business
At the heart of thebestof Taunton and Bridgwater are husband-and-wife team Grahame and Emma Rowlands.
Grahame brings more than 40 years of experience in business, sales, marketing and consultancy. Having established the business in November 2016, he was joined by Emma in 2019.
Emma brings 18 years of experience running her own business, alongside her background in administration and legal secretarial work.
Today, Emma manages administration, client relationships, copywriting and blogging, while still being Grahame's Personal Assistant too!
They're joined by Charlotte, our Taunton-based TikTok specialist, who manages her own clients, creates social media content and writes blogs.
Growing into thebestof Somerset
Our ambitions have grown alongside our business!
Today, thebestof Somerset brings together our local hubs, each championing businesses in its own community while offering wider promotional opportunities.
thebestof Weston-super-Mare: Our newest active hub, with Hannah managing local clients, supporting their marketing and developing relationships with new businesses.
thebestof Yeovil: Emily, based in Chard, supports our Yeovil members through social media, blogging and client services while developing new business relationships.
thebestof Bath – Coming Soon! We're looking forward to bringing our passion for supporting independent businesses to Bath in the near future.
Each hub showcases local businesses, events, offers, news and recommendations, while thebestof Somerset brings everything together.
Local knowledge, local relationships and wider promotional opportunities – the best of both worlds!
A Team Effort
Our original team members, Jack and Sarah, are now based in Truro. Although they're focusing more on their own projects, they remain valued members of thebestof family.
Regular team meetings keep everyone connected, sharing ideas, expertise and enthusiasm for supporting our members.
Marketing Has Changed, but Our Passion Hasn't!
Think how much marketing has changed since 2016!
Social media, customer reviews, Google Business Profiles and now artificial intelligence have transformed how customers discover businesses.
We've evolved too, offering social media management, blogging, copywriting, review management, email marketing, networking and business consultancy.
But our purpose remains unchanged: helping brilliant local businesses Get Found and Get Noticed!
Thank You for Ten Wonderful Years!
As we celebrate this milestone, we'd like to say an enormous thank you.
To our members, past and present, for trusting us to promote your businesses.
To everyone who's recommended us, attended our events or supported our work.
And to our wonderful team and the wider Taunton and Bridgwater business communities for giving us so many reasons to love local!
We're immensely proud of the past decade and excited about what comes next, with our growing Somerset network and plans for further expansion.
Here's to the next ten years of championing local businesses, building relationships and celebrating everything that makes Somerset special!
Get Found. Get Noticed. We Love Local!
Want to discover how thebestof Somerset could help your business? Get in touch with our friendly team for a chat!
