Rural Community Business Awards

Plunkett’s annual Rural Community Business Awards campaign, headline sponsored by Hastoe Housing Association, returns as the charity once again seeks to find outstanding examples of community-owned businesses and individuals involved in them, who have gone above and beyond for their communities over the last year.

The Awards are an opportunity to recognise the inspiring achievements and commitment of the community business network and this year we are delighted to share that Dame Prue Leith DBE will be the host of the special ceremony.

At the start of the pandemic we saw how community businesses stepped up in order to support their communities. Despite the continuing challenges of additional lockdowns, trading restrictions and a high level of extra support measures needed for the more vulnerable members of their local communities, the surge of community spirit we saw during the first lockdown remained and communities continued to pull together to support the people who need them the most.

We are now very excited to have the opportunity to bring together the community business sector for the first time in two years, to celebrate the amazing efforts of community-owned businesses over the past exceptionally difficult year.

This year, we will be looking to find winners in the following seven award categories:

• Rural Vision Awards:

• • Employment and training, sponsored by The Retail Mutual
  • Environment, sponsored by Suma Wholefoods
  • Re-localisation of produce, sponsored by Co-op
  • Technology, sponsored by Adnams
  • Volunteering, sponsored by Anthony Collins Solicitors

• Community Contribution Award, sponsored by Thakeham

• Young Person Award, sponsored by Abri Group

Following a judging panel session with representatives from Award sponsors, winners from each of the Rural Vision Award categories were selected along with three finalists for the Community Contribution and Young Person awards. To identify the overall winner of the Community Contribution and Young Person awards, a public voting round ran from Monday 1st November through to 4pm on 8th November, when the public were invited to vote for their favourite local hero.

For more information about Plunkett’s 2021 Rural Community Business Awards campaign please get in touch with Gemma Sills on gemma.sills@plunkett.co.uk or call 01993 630246.