Community company behind John Summers building restoration shortlisted Rural Business Awards national final

A community based business from Flintshire is preparing to attend the national final of the UK’s leading rural business awards programme.

Enbarr Foundation has been shortlisted in two categories of the Rural Business Awards, held in partnership with Amazon.

The company will 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 virtually on Thursday 24th February, following a series of regional finals in late 2021.

During the online presentation, 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.

The Enbarr Foundation has been shortlisted in the Best Rural Diversification Project category and the Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project category following its triumph at the Rural Business Awards regional finals.

The Enbarr Foundation CIC is a non-profit organisation that was created to restore and develop the area around the John Summers Clock Tower into a community hub for the people of Deeside, and the surrounding areas.

The community hub will be a place where people can access training and development courses to improve employability and where local business leaders can meet to collaborate.

The site will also house a café, library, woodland garden and vegetable patch, and a museum that will explain the history of the site.

Speaking ahead of the final, Vicki Roskams, Engagement Manager from Enbarr Foundation, said:

“Winning at the regional finals of the Rural Business Awards was a great boost for our organisation.

It provided us with a great platform to showcase all the amazing work being done in the area and raised awareness for rural diversity. We’re now looking forward to the national finals.”

“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 The Enbarr Foundation 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 Enbarr Foundation good luck ahead of the final.”

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