National award success for Shropshire pub
A village pub has won an Amazon-backed Rural Business Award.
The Pheasant at Neenton near Bridgnorth was named Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project at the national final of the Rural Business Awards, held at The Monastery, Manchester.
In 2006 the village was left without public facilities when the pub closed. Since then, The Pheasant has been restored from dereliction and turned into a dining pub with accommodation, providing employment for local young people. The business also focuses on rural regeneration which includes running public amenities and recreational facilities.
The Rural Business Awards marks the awards’ fifth year of celebrating the success of businesses across the UK’s rural economy – a segment which employs in excess of 3.4 million people in over 750,000 businesses in England alone.
John Pickup, from The Pheasant at Neenton, said: “We are honoured to have won the Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project Award.
"The Pheasant at Neenton is community-owned, and provides employment and essential services to our rural village, left without facilities when the former pub closed in 2006. We hope to give the local area a bright and sustainable future. This award is a testament to the hard work of our staff, volunteers, and the support of our community, so we are looking forward to sharing this news with them.”
Doug Gurr, UK country manager at Amazon, said: “I would like to congratulate The Pheasant at Neenton on the win at the prestigious Rural Business Awards and wish them, and the other contenders, the best of luck for the future.”
The Rural Business Awards is 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 said: “On behalf of the Rural Business Awards I would like to say congratulations to The Pheasant at Neenton on this impressive achievement.
"We would also like to extend our best wishes to every business that entered. Every year we are seeing the standard increase and this year was no different. We are very proud to be showcasing the best of Rural Britain.” Visit ruralbusinessawards.co.uk