Surrey Hills business award winners

Round & About

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Local businesses named as 2023 recipients of the Gold Trade Mark Award by Surrey Hills Enterprises

Two local businesses, Vineyards of the Surrey Hills and Chimney Fire Coffee, were named as the 2023 recipients of the Gold Trade Mark Award by Surrey Hills Enterprises for their environmental sustainability and local support.

Vineyards of the Surrey Hills are a cluster of five vineyards, priding themselves on the quality of their wine. They welcome people to visit and taste their wines, accompanied by tours of their beautiful vineyards.

Chimney Fire Coffee focus on their sustainability, using 100% compostable materials for their coffee bags and work directly with their farmers and exporters to ensure ethical sourcing.

Surrey Hills Enterprises focus on aiding local businesses to help the rural economy and support independent Surrey Hills businesses. On 18th July, they held their annual celebration, where they announced the winners of the Gold Trade Mark Award.

Chairman of Surrey Hills Enterprises, Simon Whalley, was pleased to congratulate the two winners, saying how the award “recognises local quality, environmental excellence and support for the Surrey Hills and other local businesses”. The two winners were both credited for these merits.

Vineyards of the Surrey Hills were additionally congratulated for their exemplary collaboration between their five vineyards, and their range of experiences offered to the public. Chimney Fire Coffee was congratulated similarly, and their achievement of a certified B corporation accreditation was also acknowledged. Being a B corporation means they work within a network, working to transform the local economy.

Overall, a great achievement for these local businesses!

To learn more about these two businesses, visit:
Surrey Hills Vineyards
Chimney Fire Coffee

For more information about membership and the work of Surrey Hills Enterprises, visit Surrey Hills Enterprises.

Author: Daisy Harwood

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Marlow Best Kept Village

Liz Nicholls

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Congratulations to Marlow, Best Kept Village!

Marlow has been awarded a certificate of merit in Buckinghamshire’s annual Best Kept Village Competition — “fully deserved” according to the competition’s administrator.

The judges’ comments included: “Excellent floral displays – strong community effort – in Jubilee colours”, “Areas around shops and pubs were to a very high standard” and“Good evidence of community effort in the town”.

“Excellent floral displays – strong community effort – in Jubilee colours”, “Areas around shops and pubs were to a very high standard” and“Good evidence of community effort in the town”.

Mayor Richard Scott said: “We’re delighted with the merit for Best Kept Village — the competition is fierce. I’m particularly impressed with the judges’ comments about community effort and would like to thank residents, businesses and Council workers for keeping our town clean and beautiful.”

Founded in 1957, the Best Kept Village Competition’s objective is to encourage entrants to work together as a community, involving all age groups, to make villages and towns more attractive places, not only for residents but also for visitors. The winner was Stony Stratford, with Wendover the runner-up.

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Dunsfold Village Shops 10th birthday

Liz Nicholls

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Dunsfold Village Shop has two reasons to celebrate – not only has it marked 10 years serving the community but it has also won an SW Surrey Community Hero Award.

South West Surrey Community Hero Awards

The award launched by MP for South West Surrey, Jeremy Hunt, acknowledges the shop’s contribution to the local community during the Covid-19 pandemic, going above and beyond to help others during these challenging times.

Lockdown posed a huge challenge but the shop has remained operational throughout the past year, in recognition of the importance of local shopping for the community. During the first lockdown, a successful online shop was launched for collection and delivery to vulnerable customers and in February a huge milestone was reached with the 3,000th order. Alongside this, the shop doors have been open for the vast majority of the time, operating within Covid-safe guidelines.

The most important thing is keeping our customers and staff safe

Mr Hunt said: “We have all been humbled by the numerous examples of individuals going the extra mile to help people in need during the pandemic. Thank you so very much for all you are doing to support those in need during this crisis – you are a true local hero!”

Owned and run by the community, the shop opened in 2011 and now provides a comprehensive range to customers, including everyday groceries, a richly-stocked delicatessen, fresh fruit & vegetables, freshly brewed coffee and hot drinks and other support services, including dry cleaning. It is a staunch advocate of Love Local and during Covid has continued to stock goods from many local producers including Rawlings of Cranleigh, Dylan’s Icecream, Taurus Wines, Flowers by Juliette, Sugar Party, Charlie’s Trout, Mandira’s Kitchen, eggs by Hallgate Farm and Lee House, Crafty Brewing Co, Firebird Brewery, Hogs Back Brewery, Hungry Guest and many more.

The team

Run by manager Gary Halls and his five staff, the shop operates with a team of local volunteers who help stock shelves, serve and compile and deliver orders. Gary said: “We are delighted to receive this award. 2020 was extremely challenging but with teamwork and a lot of creative thinking, we transformed the way we operate and are stronger for it. The most important thing is keeping our customers and staff safe, whilst at the same time, continuing to provide our community service, arguably more vital than ever during Covid.”

Dunsfold Village Shop Committee Chair, Karen Thurston, said they were extremely grateful for the hard work of the staff and volunteers, adding: “The benefits of the village shop have shone through during the last year – it is central to village life and has been a lifesaver for many locals – and it has been a huge pleasure to be part of it.”

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