The Rural Business Awards, supported by Amazon, is the only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural businesses
Two local companies are in the running to be named one of the best rural businesses in the UK after being shortlisted in the 2020/21 final of the Amazon-backed Rural Business Awards.
Owd Barn at Bispham from Omskirk has been shortlisted in the Best Rural Diversification Project category and Wild Fox Distillery from Preston has been shortlisted in the Best Rural Drink Business category.
The Rural Business Awards 2020/21 will mark the Awards’ sixth year of celebrating the success of businesses across the UK’s rural economy. The final takes place in February 2021. The awards are organised by rural businesses for rural businesses to celebrate their achievements and develop a strong network for rural business owners.
Owd Barn at Bisham is a traditional tearoom with locally sourced products. At the Owd Barn tearoom, you can enjoy a range of traditional homemade farmhouse meals, cakes and ice creams, or just relax with a cup of tea or fresh ground coffee.
Wild Fox Distillery is a family of fourth generation farmers who have diversified into a ‘farm-to-bottle’ gin crafting business, meaning each bottle has been developed, harvested and labelled by the distillery.
Speaking after being shortlisted for an award, Helen Louise Charlesworth from Owd Barn at Bispham said: “We’re over the moon to receive this acknowledgement from Amazon and the Rural Business Awards. This year hasn’t been easy, but we’ve been proud of how we’ve adapted, and this achievement is a testament to our hard work and determination.”
“This year has been challenging for many rural businesses and it’s more important than ever to show our support for them,” said John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. “The Rural Business Awards are a great opportunity to highlight the outstanding contribution of rural businesses to the UK’s economy. I would like to congratulate Owd Barn at Bispham and Wild Fox Distillery and all the nominees on being shortlisted and wish them luck ahead of the national final. Thousands of small businesses from rural areas selling on Amazon now export to customers around the world, and to date small businesses on Amazon have created over 85,000 jobs.”
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. Anna Price said: “We’re proud of the rural sector and all that it’s achieved during this tumultuous year and we’re grateful to be able to highlight its amazing talent. We’d like to commend Owd Barn at Bispham and Wild Fox Distillery for this great achievement, and we wish them and the rest of the shortlisted businesses all the best for the final.”
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.
Due to the impact of COVID-19, this year the awards will be entirely judged and run online. The finalists will skip the regional finals and compete against fellow rural businesses and entrepreneurs from across the UK at the National Final Awards Ceremony on Thursday 25th February 2021.
Winners will be decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, rural public sector agencies and rural charitable organisations and announced at the National Final Awards Ceremony on Thursday 25th February 2021.
