Rural Enterprise Award

We want you to tell us why you’re the best and why you, your business, project, product or service deserves to be recognised as the best in this class. Try to demonstrate your uniqueness, your successes and your vision, how are your values entrenched in the rural sector and how you plan, how you hope to grow and how you impact the rural economy and way of life.

This awards has the following categories

• Best Rural Start Up Business
• Diversification Project
• Professional Services Business
• Creative, Artisan or Crafts Business
• Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project
• Recreational or Outdoor Pursuits Business

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Won by:

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Lifetime Achievement

This award recognises a business person or organisation whose culture and commercial principles are targeted at bringing a greater good and solving social challenges for our local communities. The award is for those businesses people in West Suffolk that have made a positive difference to the area with pioneering ideas and approaches with a sustainable and lasting business model.

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Business Leader of the Year

This Business Award was created to recognise the business personality who best represents achievement and longevity. Synonymous with his or her business sector in the area, the award acknowledges the winner’s sustained achievements within the business community during a distinguished career.

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The West Suffolk Award for Innovation

The West Suffolk Award for Innovation celebrates West Suffolk businesses who are actively investing in Research & Development, delivering innovative products and solutions within their sector. Judges would like to recognise the excellence achieved by the area’s leading companies. If you are an innovative, forward thinking company then we want to hear from you. Any business based within West Suffolk, regardless of industry sector, can enter this award.

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Employee of the Year

Nominees for this award will have gone the extra mile in their job to achieve something amazing, or overcome adversity in their professional life and continued to deliver an excellent service. The person should be a role model to their colleagues.

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Customer Service

This award recognises individuals and teams who have demonstrated exceptional customer service and follow through by delivering ‘above and beyond’ customer expectations.

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Best New Start Up Business

We want to hear from new businesses with big ambitions – For businesses that have been trading for less than 3 complete financial years. Judges will be looking for the “X Factor” of a new idea or a new business concept.

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Contribution to the Community

This award recognises a business or business person who has made a positive contribution to the local community, making an extra effort to bring the community together or those who go out of their way to help others or a charity. The award is for those who make an outstanding contribution to the community or improving the locality for the benefit of everyone.

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Green / Environment Award

The judges are looking to celebrate those organisations and individuals undertaking genuinely unique work that can be emulated by the wider business community and serve to drive green growth. As such each entry will be judged against three over-arching criteria: innovation, applicability and competitiveness.

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Apprentice / Trainee of the Year

The Apprenticeship Awards challenge top apprentices across the area to come forward and show how apprenticeships have made a real difference to their organisation and careers. The award will recognise apprentices or trainees who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

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The West Suffolk Young Entrepreneur Award

This award recognises an individual within West Suffolk. Aged 30 or under, this award recognises an individual whose entrepreneurial flair, creativity and dynamism has enabled them to achieve a level of business success that belies their age. This individual may have come up with a new process or product or may be utilising their acumen to compete in their chosen field or on a global level. Judges will be looking for an outstanding young person who will be a beacon of inspiration to those with entrepreneurial flair and talent irrespective of age and sector.

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Business of the Year

We’re looking for an outstanding business whose growth, ambition and quality of management has enabled it to out-perform its peers financially, and for a company that has delivered on a compelling business strategy.

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