Plunkett UK has opened entries for this year’s Rural Community Business Awards, which will be handed out at a ceremony in London on 2 July.
Categories this year are Connecting the Community, Going Green, Keeping it Local, Investing in Local People, One to Watch, Team Spirit, Community Contribution, Young Person and the Horace Plunkett Award, which will honour community businesses’ longevity and impact.
“Each year, the Rural Community Business Awards remind us just how much passion and innovation exist within rural communities,” said Sarah Benn from Plunkett, the charity for rural community businesses which represents more than 850 organisations. “The stories we hear are a powerful testament to what can be achieved when people come together with a shared purpose.
“Our members form a remarkable network of people dedicated to improving the places they call home. This celebration is for them, and we look forward to honouring their impact and their unwavering commitment to their communities.”
Strategic land master developer, Lands Improvement, is the headline sponsor of the awards for the second consecutive year.
Lands Improvement cares about improving the communities they impact through increasing supply of land for new homes and driving the highest standards in placemaking and design. It managing director James Stone said: “Having seen first-hand the work done in supporting rural communities through fostering stewardship of important community assets, we are once again delighted to be supporting Plunkett UK at their Rural Community Business Awards.
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“The activities really resonate with us and our placemaking goals, and we can’t wait to hear more inspiring stories through meeting the people positively impacting their communities and celebrating their impressive achievements.”
The winner of last year’s prestigious Community Contribution Award, chosen by a public vote, was Celia Collett, the driving force behind Brightwell-cum-Sotwell Community Village Stores in Oxfordshire.
As she collected the award, Celia said, “I am speechless and for me that’s quite unusual! The community shop has been running for 15 years and the team at Plunkett has been with us every step of the way. I’m quite emotional because they’ve helped me through lots of difficult times, and I don’t know what I would have done without them.”
