Three Shropshire companies in the running for national awards

Three businesses from Shropshire are preparing to attend the national final of the UK’s leading rural business awards programme, where they’re shortlisted for their outstanding accomplishments in business.

Shropshire Festivals from Ironbridge and Meg Hawkins and Staysafe PPE, both from Bridgnorth, have been shortlisted in the national final of the Rural Business Awards, held in partnership with Amazon, which will see them compete against fellow businesses from across the UK to be named among the best rural businesses in the country.

The national final of the 2021/22 Rural Business Awards takes place on Thursday 24th February following a series of regional finals in late 2021. The national finalists will attend an online ceremony, where the overall winners in each category will be announced.

The 2021/22 Rural Business Awards features 13 categories including Best Rural Start-Up Business and Best Rural Diversification Project, Best Rural Professional Services Business and The Triumph Over Adversity Award.

Shropshire Festivals from Ironbridge, has been shortlisted in The Sustainability and Environmental Impact Award category, Meg Hawkins from Bridgnorth has been shortlisted for Best Rural Creative or Artisan Business and Stay Safe PPE from Bridgnorth has been shortlisted in the Best Rural Innovation category.

Shropshire Festivals organises rural events including Shrewsbury Food Festival, Shropshire Oktoberfest, Shropshire Food and Drink and the Shropshire Hamper Company. The company aims to provide the local community with cultural fun days which showcase independent local businesses, boosting tourism for the community.

Meg Hawkins is a licensed and award-winning British watercolour artist. Meg set up Meg Hawkins Art from her kitchen table in 2015. The company now has a shop in Shrewsbury Town that sells Meg’s cards, prints and homeware.

Staysafe PPE is the only company in the UK to collect PPE from users and wash, disinfect, inspect and repair it before selling it on.

 Speaking ahead of the final, Beth Heath from Shropshire Festivals said:

"It was great to be recognised at the regionals finals by Amazon and the Rural Business Awards for our efforts in reducing waste at our events, and our projects which encourage people to buy food and drink produced locally. It was a great boost for our business, and we can't wait for the national final later this month.”

“We are proud to continue our support of the Rural Business Awards. They are a great way to highlight the entrepreneurial spirit and the achievements of the many fantastic businesses in the rural sector across the UK,” said John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager, Amazon. “On behalf of everyone at Amazon, I would like to wish all the finalists from Shropshire the best of luck ahead of the final.”

 The Rural Business Awards 2021/22 will mark the Awards’ seventh year of celebrating the success of businesses across the UK’s rural sector. 

The Rural Business Awards are 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 are excited to host a seventh year of the Rural Business Awards, and every year the competition gets tougher to judge. It’s an honour to showcase the fantastic talent of the rural sector in the UK and we wish the Shropshire businesses good luck ahead of the final.”

The award winners will be announced during the virtual ceremony, to be held on Thursday 24th February 2022.