Top regional prizes for Louth company

Clare Haggas celebrates with her multiple awards following the ceremony in Nottingham last month.

Clare Haggas Fine Art and Design Ltd, from Louth, was named ‘Best Rural Start Up Business’ and ‘Best Rural Retail Business’ at the Midlands regional finals of the Rural Business Awards in partnership with Amazon, at an event held at Nottingham University last month.

The company was also named runner up in the ‘Best Rural Creative, Artisan or Crafts Business’ category.

Following the impressive achievement at the regional final, Clare Haggas Fine Art and Design Ltd will now go on to represent the Midlands at the national final in February.

Launched in 2015, the company specialises in creating vibrant countryside art, particularly involving pheasant and other game.

Two years ago, founder Clare Haggas began to transfer her art onto silk accessories which are now presented as a high-end, British-made, luxury brand.

The company has also grown into a significant online retail business, and its art is represented across 45 stores, in nine countries around the world.

The Rural Business Awards 2019/20, in partnership with Amazon, will mark the awards’ fifth year of celebrating the success of businesses across the UK’s rural economy – a segment which employs over 3.4m people in more than 750,000 businesses in England by itself.

Speaking after picking up the awards, Clare Haggas said: “On behalf of Clare Haggas Fine Art and Design Ltd, I would like to say a huge thank you to Amazon and the Rural Business Awards. I was delighted at being shortlisted, and to go on and win two categories, and be runner-up in a third, is fantastic.

“I feel completely overwhelmed and can’t wait for the national final!”

Doug Gurr, Amazon UK country manager, said: “I’d like to congratulate all the businesses nominated and wish Clare Haggas Fine Art and Design Ltd the best of luck ahead of the national final.”

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.

For more information, visit www.ruralbusinessawards.co.uk