Isle of Wight farm-stay, Nettlecombe Farm, has been named one of the best rural businesses in the South East after winning a regional Rural Business Award.
Nettlecombe Farm, based in Whitwell, was named Best Rural Tourism Business at the South East regional finals of the Rural Business Awards in partnership with Amazon which were held at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge and regionally sponsored by Openreach.
Through to the national final
Following the impressive achievement at the regional final, Nettlecombe Farm will now go on to represent the South East at the national final in February 2020.
Nettlecombe Farm
Nettlecombe Farm is a working farm that offers luxurious self-catering holiday accommodation, coarse fishing and yoga retreats.
The farm, which has been in the Morris family for over a century, has no fewer than nine converted self-catering properties, three coarse fishing lakes as well opportunities for guests to meet and feed the residents, including alpacas, donkeys, goats and reindeer.
The farm is well loved by guests whose feedback year after year has meant they have kept their place in the TripAdvisor Hall of Fame and won awards this year for the ‘cosiest hideaway’ and the ‘best place for a shindig’.
Family-run farm for generations
Speaking after winning the award, owner of Nettlecombe Farm, Jose Morris said:
“We are delighted to have won this prestigious award. I take it as recognition of how hard all the members of our team at Nettlecombe Farm work to give our guests a unique experience during their stay with us.
“Nettlecombe Farm has been in my family for generations. So many rural businesses face difficult choices between working the land, conserving our precious environment and making a living.
“By opening the farm to guests, visitors and educational trips we have, so far, navigated that balance. I hope that we can continue to give people a fully immersive experience of a working farm and the rural way of life for generations to come. I’d particularly like to thank the team at the Rural Business Awards for their support and recognition.”
The Rural Business Awards
Now in its fifth year, the Rural Business Awards is the only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural businesses. It is run in partnership with Amazon.
Doug Gerr, Amazon UK Country Manager, said:
“I’d like to congratulate all the businesses shortlisted and wish Nettlecombe Farm the best of luck ahead of the national final in February.”
Shining much-needed light on successful rural firms
Awards co-founder, Jemma Clifford, said:
“Anna and I are so proud to be hosting the fourth annual Rural Business Awards together with Amazon. When we started the Awards we wanted to shine a much-needed light on successful rural firms but the success of the RBAs is beyond what we ever imagined.
“We were blown away with the diversity of our entries this year so winning any of the categories is an extraordinary achievement – hearty congratulations to Nettlecombe Farm and all the other finalists.”
Showcase wealth of entrepreneurial talent
The Amazon 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 – a sector of the economy they felt was all-too-often overlooked in favour of large, city-based firms.
The awards are organised by rural business for rural business, with winners in the 12 categories – ranging from Best Rural Start-up and Best Rural Diversification Project; through to Best Rural Professional Services Business and Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project – decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, rural public sector agencies, and rural charitable organisations.
National Final in February
The Rural Business Awards is hosting a series of regional finals in the North, East, Midlands, South East, South West, Wales and Northern Ireland, throughout October and November 2019, ahead of the National Final next February.
To find out more about Nettlecombe Farm, go to the Website or to learn about the Rural Business Awards visit their Website.
News shared by Jodie on behalf of Nettlecombe Farm. Ed
Image: © Tallulah Shepherdly collecting the award on behalf of Nettlecombe Farm by Matt Bristow
