Amanda Hitchin Wins Top Honour at 2025 East of England StartUp Awards

• Amanda Hitchin's Colchester Children's Counselling has taken the Consumer Service Start-Up of the Year award.
• The winning mental health service will now go on to compete in the UK national finals at Ideas Fest this September.

A COLCHESTER town centre children's mental health service has been handed a top award at the 2025 East of England StartUp Awards. Colchester Children's Counselling, which was set up by 37-year-old Great Horkesley woman Amanda Hitchin, won the consumer service start-up of the year award for its high growth and life-changing work on mental health services in the community.

Amanda started the service in 2022 after realizing that the area lacked private child-centered mental health care. In a statement, she said, “I started the business in 2022, right after the pandemic. Having come from a background in education, I felt there was a lack of private services in the area that cater to children's mental health. It was just me in the beginning, and I never thought we would grow this big.”

The practice started in North Hill, Colchester, and soon grew to make its name in the market. It now has several rooms for therapy, a sensory area that is used specifically for psychotherapy, some specialist therapists, and even has training placements available for students at university.

She added, “This win is a great celebration of all of the hard work that all of our therapists have and continue to put into helping our clients navigate their mental health journey. This win is a great celebration of all of the hard work that all of our therapists have and continue to put into focusing on helping our clients navigate their mental health journey. We have many exciting projects in the future, and we look forward to bringing more high-quality mental health opportunities to the young people in Colchester and surrounding areas.”

Airwallex, Join Talent, and V-Rum sponsored the UK StartUp Awards to identify the most innovative new companies from ten UK regions. The East of England is renowned for its entrepreneurial culture, with universities and established connections to flourishing tech, agri-tech, and health industries.

Amanda was also a F: Entrepreneur Top 100 Female Entrepreneur for Small Business Britain earlier in the year, and her work has been celebrated at several events at the House of Lords.

All the regional winners, such as Colchester Children's Counselling, will then compete at the national finals at Ideas Fest in September, which is referred to as the Glastonbury for entrepreneurs.

Amanda expressed her excitement about the next phase, stating, “I am very excited to be part of the national finals and to see all the other businesses doing the good work around the country.”