Searching for the UK’s brightest country businesses for the 2016 My Country Business Awards

Country Homes & Interiors - the modern country lifestyle brand - launches its seventh annual My Country Business Awards in partnership with Not on the High Street.

This year, the highly successful My Country Business awards aims to scour the country from top to bottom in search of the UK’s best and brightest country businesses. The awards are designed to celebrate existing country businesses and trailblazers, as well as looking to empower a new generation of country-based, creative entrepreneurs to do what they love… and get paid for it.

Entrants are judged in six categories, including a new division entitled, the Emerging Creative Talent Award, designed in partnership with the experts at Not on the High Street, who shares Country Homes & Interiors vision of encouraging new growth in the creative, rural, small business sector. Along with this award, the other categories representing a wide array of sub sectors are: Home Accessory Crafters and Makers; Fabric, Furniture and Wallpaper Designers; Retailers; Food Producers; Hospitality & Leisure Providers.

This year’s judging panel is spectacular, with experts in each category including: Sally Bendelow, Not on the High Street’s Creative Product Director; Sophie Allport, Founder and Owner of Sophie Allport; Melanie Adams, Founder and Buyer at Wallpaperdirect; Anna Rigby, Head of Buying at John Lewis; Dan Rusga, Marketing Director at Yeo Valley; Lucy Lomas, Business Director at River Cottage HQ and our very own Country Home & Interiors Editor and My Country Business Awards champion, Rhoda Parry.

The 2016 winners will received an invaluable package of mentoring, as well as promotion in Country Homes & Interiors. Starting up a new business is a daunting undertaking, but our expert judges will mentor and support the winners, providing priceless advice and insight as people who’ve been there and succeeded.

Editor Rhoda Parry believes that ‘the awards has become something we at Country Homes & Interiors and our amazing cast of partners look forward to annually. It brings to life the drive and passion of the new generation of country folk. We are proud to celebrate and foster rural creative entrepreneurship in all it’s forms and help these business people find wider audiences for their brands.”

This is a view shared by Sally Bendelow at notonethehighstreet.com who asserts, “Many of the 5000 small businesses supported by notonthehighstreet.com are based in rural communities throughout the UK. We aim to empower and enable these communities, helping them to generate jobs and income through global product sales.”

Entry to the My Country Business Awards is easy. Simply visit housetohome.co.uk/business for more information then download your entry form and get applying. The deadline for entry submissions is 10 June 2016. We encourage businesses of all shapes and sizes to have a go and not to disqualify themselves before applying as so often happens.

Notes to Editors:

About Country Homes & Interiors:

• Launched in 1986, Country Homes & Interiors is the market-leading brand for modern country style. It celebrates its 30^th birthday this year.
• On a monthly basis, Country Homes & Interiors engages with over 1.7 million consumers across print and digital platforms.
• Country Homes & Interiors’ ABC for the period JD15: 80,802.

About My Country Business:

• My Country Business is an established franchise of Country Homes & Interiors, which includes annual business awards, events, mentoring and regular sharing of business case studies and advice through print, online and video.
• The My Country Business Awards launched in 2010, with the aim of helping people at the start of a journey to set up their own country-based businesses.
• The 2016 My Country Business Awards categories, partners and mentors are as follows:
• oNotonthehighstreet.com Emerging Creative Talent Award: Sally Bendelow, Creative Product Director, notonthehighstreet.com
• oHome Accessory Crafters and Makers: Sophie Allport, Founder and Owner of Sophie Allport
• oFabric, Furniture and Wallpaper Designers: Melanie Adams, Founder and Buyer at Wallpaperdirect
• oRetailers: Anna Rigby, Head of Buying at John Lewis
• oFood Producers: Dan Rusga, Marketing Director at Yeo Valley
• oHospitality & Leisure Providers: Lucy Lomas, Business Director at River Cottage HQ
• The 2016 My Country Business Awards winners prize includes:
• oThree mentoring sessions with one of our category partners.
• oCoverage in the My Country Business 2016 winners feature in Country Homes & Interiors.
• oCoverage on country-days.co.uk blog.

• For information about how to enter the Awards visit: www.housetohome.co.uk/business

Follow and support the Country Homes & Interiors My Country Business Awards 2016 campaign online using #MCBAwards.

Country Homes & Interiors can be found online on both Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest with the handle @countryhomesmag.

For further information and to arrange an interview with Country Homes & Interiors Editor, Rhoda Parry, contact: rhoda.parry@timeinc.com.