Three Devon companies in final for national business award
Three Devon businesses are preparing to battle it out against companies from across the UK ahead of the Amazon backed Rural Business Awards final, which will take place on Thursday 25th February 2021.
The companies are:
- Centre-Space from Tiverton (Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project category).
- Natural Design Studio from Cullompton (The Triumph Over Adversity Award category).
- Rull Orchard Ltd from Bickleigh (The Sustainability and Environmental Impact Award category).
Due to the impact of COVID-19, the 2021 finalists will attend an online ceremony where the overall winners in each category will be announced.
This year, businesses had 13 categories they could enter, ranging from Best Rural Start-Up Business and Best Rural Diversification Project, through to Best Rural Professional Services Business and The Triumph Over Adversity Award.
Centre-Space was created by Tiverton Community Radio station and is a hub for locals and visitors to Tiverton. It is a low carbon centre that believes in zero waste and uses low energy and upcycles as much as possible. At Centre-Space, people can experience events and arts local to Tiverton and its surrounding areas and the centre also offers flexible co-working spaces and private office hire.
Natural Design Studio is a professional garden design company that specialises in designing sustainable gardens that improve the customer’s wellbeing. The company is committed to designing gardens that are restorative to both people and nature.
Rull Orchard Ltd is a cider manufacturer based in Bickleigh. Founded in July 2020 and committed to blending the best ingredients, it keeps the cider making process as simple and sustainable as possible by using apples grown locally in the Devonshire countryside.
Speaking ahead of the final, Caro Bushnell from Centre-Space said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team of volunteers this past year and how they’ve adapted. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve pulled together and achieved great things. Being in the running for an Amazon-backed Rural Business Award is a great acknowledgement for our business and shows that our efforts have paid off.”
“The Rural Business Awards is an excellent opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of rural businesses and we’re very proud to be sponsoring the awards, particularly during this challenging year,” said John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. “I would like to wish all three businesses the best of luck ahead of the final.”
The Rural Business Awards 2020/21 will mark the Awards’ sixth year of celebrating the success of businesses across the UK’s rural sector, which contributes £299bn in Gross Value Added to the overall UK economy.
The Rural Business Awards is the brainchild of Leicestershire businesswomen Anna Price and Jemma Clifford, who wanted to showcase the wealth of entrepreneurial talent in rural areas of Britain.
Jemma Clifford said: “Every year, the quality of entries blows us away and this year has been no exception. It’s a privilege to showcase the incredible talent of the British rural sector and we would like to wish all the businesses from Devon good luck in the final.”
The award winners will be announced during the virtual ceremony, to be held on Thursday 25th February 2021.
To find out more, visit www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk
