The winners of the fifth annual C+D Awards celebrated at a gala dinner and ceremony this evening (May 29).

More than 600 guests including the 62 finalists joined the C+D team for the festivities, held in association with the NPA at central London venue The Brewery, and watched as the 12 winners were announced.

Day Lewis regional manager Jay Patel won the C+D Manager of the Year 2012 award for turning a loss-making pharmacy chain into a business with more than £1 million in profit. Under Mr Patel's stewardship, prescription items in the former ABC pharmacies went up at twice the industry average and a customer survey revealed 98 per cent were happy with the service.

12 winners picked up C+D awards in front of a packed out room

How to raise your leadership game Business Leader of the Year More on the C+D Awards 2012

Alison Sparkes scooped the C+D Community Pharmacist of the Year 2012 trophy, after winning over judges with her Neath Medicine Centre. Ms Sparkes has branched out with a Wellness Centre adjacent to the pharmacy, where she is incorporating the Medicine Centre into the wider health and wellbeing agenda. And Boots' Queen Street, Cardiff branch picked up the award for C+D Pharmacy Team of the Year 2012, after its team delivered MURs to at-risk groups, trialled an electronic medication reminder and improved safety around high-risk medication.

Judges commended the Boots team as an "inspiration" in their delivery of high-standard services and commitment to improving their knowledge.

C+D editor Gary Paragpuri paid tribute to all the finalists as "the sector's brightest and most talented pharmacists, technicians, assistants and teams" and thanked them for sharing their successes.

"If ever there was a time for pharmacy to stand up and be counted – now is it," he added.

"And our finalists are a terrific showcase of just what community pharmacy teams can deliver."

Find out more about the winners and other finalists in a special pull-out with this week's C+D (June 2). And the winners are...

Manager of the Year Jay Patel, Day Lewis Clinical Service of the Year Boots, South East Region Pre-registration Graduate of the Year Sarah Patterson, Rowlands, Mintlaw Pharmacy Assistant of the Year Annie Clarke, City Pharmacy, Portsmouth Business Initiative of the Year Newbury Pharmacy and Therapy Centre, Swansea Pharmacy Technician of the Year Joanne Porter, Whitworth Chemists Pharmacy Innovation of the Year Rowlands Pharmacy, Bala Public Health Initiative of the Year Essex LPC and Essex Cancer Network Multiple Branch of the Year Wainscott Pharmacy (Medipharmacy), Rochester Independent Pharmacy of the Year Blakeberry Pharmacy, East Ham, London Community Pharmacist of the Year Alison Sparkes, Medicine Centre, Neath Pharmacy Team of the Year Boots, Queen Street, Cardiff