The awards, now in their third year, celebrate everything from rural tourism and cuisine to manufacturing and clothing, championing the enterprises which are the backbone of the rural economy. Run in partnership with the CLA and Amazon, the RBAs are split into 13 categories and are the only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural firms, a sector which employs over 3.4 million people in more than 600,000 businesses.
One local business which succeeded at last year’s Rural Business Awards, is Cambridge Network member Zettlex UK from Newton, runner-up in the Best Rural Manufacturing Business category. Mark Howard from Zettlex is calling on other companies in the area to get involved this year, and show the country what businesses in Cambridgeshire have to offer.
Mark said: “It was an honour to be recognised for our work at the Rural Business Awards last year. Being involved was a great experience for everyone at Zettlex and a big encouragement to rural businesses across the county that good work doesn’t go unnoticed. The Rural Business Awards reminds people that rural business doesn’t necessarily mean a ‘cottage industry’, we are a high-tech designer and manufacturer of components for machinery like space rockets, racing cars and submarines. Our rural location is a huge advantage. We hope to see lots of local businesses at this year’s awards.”
The brainchild of Anna Price and Jemma Clifford - themselves both successful rural businesswomen - the Rural Business Awards are a deliberate counterpoint to the many city-based business awards that they felt often neglected successful countryside entrepreneurs.
Anna said: “We know they’re out there - those little gems hidden away in the beautiful English countryside – these amazing rural firms that are showing dazzling entrepreneurship combined with hard work and a commitment to the Great British countryside way of life that we all want to protect. We aim to help these businesses grow by recognising their hard work and bringing them to a wider market. But businesses need to hurry – our closing date is June 30th and after that we won’t be able to accept any more entries for this year.”
Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager, Amazon added: “As supporters of the Rural Business Awards, it’s great to hear that businesses have been putting themselves forward to share the fantastic work being done in rural-based organisations, of all shapes and sizes.
“We encourage all rural-based businesses to consider entering the awards, from across the UK and in all sectors. Whether you’re an entrepreneur who’s pioneered a new innovation, a family-run farm that’s diversifying, a manufacturer that’s a top-class local employer, or another type of rural-based business with success stories to share, the Rural Business Awards present an opportunity to collectively recognise and celebrate achievements in the UK’s rural economy.”
CLA Director General Helen Woolley said: “Employers in the countryside play a vital role in rural areas by providing essential jobs and services which are key in ensuring we have vibrant rural communities. If your business can demonstrate impeccable employment credentials, or if you think your employer is one of the best, enter now and tell us why you deserve to win a Rural Business Award.”
This year’s glittering awards ceremony will be held at Denbies Wine Estate in Surrey on October 5th. The award categories will be decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, official agencies and rural charitable organisations.
More than a hundred rural businesses attended the awards ceremony last year, and there has already been a record number of entries in 2017.
Find out more and enter the awards here
Rural Business Award categories for 2017:
1. Best Rural Start-up
2. Outstanding Rural Diversification Project
3. Best Rural Clothing or Accessories Business
4. Rural Innovation of the year
5. Best Rural Manufacturing Business
6. Best Rural Professional Services Business
7. Best Rural Creative or Media based Business
8. Social enterprise / community project of the year
9. Best Rural Tourism Business
10. Best Rural Sporting Business
11. Rural Employer of the year
12. Rural Entrepreneur of the year
13. Best Food & Drink Business
Find out more via social media on:
T: @RuralRBAs
F: The Rural Business Awards
Keep up with the Twitter chatter and use #RBAs.
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Contact:
Clare Bampton: E: [email protected], T: 01332 865 452, M: 07852 824 295 or @clarebampton