Stonebridge Group has announced that one of its appointed representative (AR) firms, Thameside Associates, has won the top prize at the Legal & General Business Quality Awards.

Shepperton–based mortgage and protection advisory firm Thameside Associates took home the top prize in the Customer Excellence Firm) Award and received a highly commended in the Outstanding Performance Award.

The Customer Excellence (Firm) Award is a category where all L&G’s quality metrics are analysed and the best performance recognised measuring each firm against its peer group. The Outstanding Performance Award rewards those firms whose persistency outperforms others in their channel.

Now in its fifth year, the Business Quality Awards are held by L&G to recognise the hard work and effort advisory firms put into retaining their business.

Thameside Associates has won an award every year since the Awards were launched. In 2011 it won Most Improved Firm and in the subsequent years won the Outstanding Performance Award.

Steve Funnell, director at Thameside Associates, said: “At Thameside we pride ourselves on doing the right things for our customers and it’s great to be recognised by winning an L&G Quality Award for the fifth year running. Working within the Stonebridge Group structure now means we have all the support and resources we need to keep developing the business to ensure we can keep up the necessary standards to win future awards.”

Richard Adams, managing director of Stonebridge Group, said: “It’s a great testament to the hard work of Steve and the entire team at Thameside that it has consistently been recognised at the Business Quality Awards over the past five years. This is just the type of firm that we want within the Stonebridge network and its commitment to quality advice and putting the customer at the heart of everything it does means Thameside deserves all its accolades.

“We would like to say huge congratulations from everyone at Stonebridge to all concerned and long may Thameside continue to attract this level of recognition.”