A BROADWAY-based dressage clothing firm has been judged one of the country’s best rural clothing businesses at the Amazon-sponsored Rural Business Awards 2017. 

Derriere Equestrian, won the Best Rural Clothing or Accessories Business category at a glittering ceremony at Denbies Wine Estates in Surrey.

Derriere Equestrian was founded by dressage rider Claire Galer to create underwear which provided a perfect padded seat on a horse.

The firm sells in 35 countries and is stocked in more than 300 shops worldwide.

Ms Galer said: “This has been an amazing year for us as we’ve seen sales jump by 20 per cent.

“Being named Best Rural Clothing or Accessories Business at the Rural Business Awards is the perfect way to cap the year and help us move on to an even more successful 2018.

“It can be tough for rural entrepreneurs and businesses to get the recognition they deserve, so programmes like the Rural Business Awards are crucial to encouraging growth in the sector. 

“The stories of these successful rural businesses are incredibly inspiring and just go to show the immense talent that exists at the heart of our rural communities in the UK,” said Doug Gurr, UK country manager at Amazon.

“I would like to extend a hearty congratulations to those who were successful in the awards, and to thank all those who entered and shared their successes, and wish them the very best for the future.” 

Elsewhere in the Cotswolds, raw pet food company Cotswold RAW was highly commended in the Best Rural Manufacturing Business category.

The only UK-wide programme dedicated to showcasing the success of rural businesses, the Rural Business Awards are now in their third year and are run in partnership with the CLA and Amazon. 

The RBAs 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 – 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 businesses for rural businesses and judged by people who understand the rural sector, which is growing rapidly and employs in excess of 3.4 million people in more than 600,000 businesses across the UK. 

This year’s awards saw nearly three times as many entries as in 2016, with businesses from 52 counties in the UK sending in their applications. They were split into 13 categories with five finalists in each, of which one winner, one runner-up and three highly commended prizes were awarded, plus an overall champion of champions.

CLA director General Helen Woolley said: “The CLA is delighted to partner with the Rural Business Awards to highlight the vital contribution our rural areas make to the wider economy.

“It was a great pleasure for me to be a part of the judging panel to see the passion for rural business demonstrated by the finalists. My congratulations go to all the winners who have shown great expertise in their field and have a real understanding of how they fit into the rural economy as a whole.

“I urge all our winners to keep flying the flag for rural business!”

Jemma Clifford, who co-founded the RBAs, alongside Anna Price, said: “The Rural Business Awards give rural enterprises of all sizes the opportunity to showcase their success and the contribution they are making to our thriving rural economy – just the firms that have entered in 2017 have combined turnovers well in excess of £70 million.

“Hundreds of companies enter the RBAs each year and the finalists illustrate the best businesses the countryside has to offer in each of the 13 categories.”