Local businesses demonstrate strong community ethos

Winners of the Somerset Day Business Competition with the Chairman of Somerset County Council and Somerset Day Directors

To celebrate Somerset Day 2022, the organisers teamed up with Somerset County Council to offer three worthy Somerset-based businesses the chance to win a £1000 grant each.

With so many amazing businesses in Somerset, we were keen to support independent businesses who could demonstrate how £1000 would be invested to help their business grow and make an impact on their local communities.

At County Hall yesterday evening (29 June 2022), the winning businesses were formally presented with their grants and winner’s certificates by Councillor Mike Best, Chairman of Somerset County Council.

Councillor Best said “There were many worthy entries and I’d like to thank all businesses who took part. Congratulations to the winning businesses who each received a grant. Very well deserved! Somerset businesses have so much to offer and are very much the heart of our communities. It’s great to celebrate this as part of Somerset Day.”

Commented Denys Rayner, Chairman of Somerset Day CIC and one of the competition judges, “We received many excellent entries and the judges faced a daunting task choosing which deserved to be chosen to receive the three grants – indeed so challenging was the task that the judges took the decision to share one of the grants between two businesses”.

The two businesses each winning £1,000 were Yellow Door Cottage, Stogursey and Rocket and Bird in Taunton.

The Judges thought that both businesses showed exceptional entrepreneurship and considered their entries to be outstanding examples of how local businesses are working to support their communities.

Sharing the third £1,000 grant with each receiving £500 were Lesser Litter in Taunton and Langport Vintage Market. Both these businesses also demonstrated a strong community ethos around a sound business model.

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