Business Awards 2007
The business awards recognise excellence in business performance, innovation, environmental care and sustainability.
These areas complement The Crown Estate’s core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship.
The awards operate in each of The Crown Estate’s business areas – marine, rural and urban – and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to encouraging the development of successful, innovative and sustainable business.
Marine Business Award
The winner of the Marine Business Award is the RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve for their Wet Weather Community and Lifelong Learning Facility. RSPB Conwy Nature Reserve had become a very popular visitor destination with numbers at 50,000 per year.
The need for a new visitor centre was identified and the Wet Weather Community and Lifelong learning facility was completed in September 2006. It now hosts family activity days, school education days and community activities. Importantly, the new development also houses a shop and a café that will help sustain long-term revenue prospects.
The judges were particularly impressed by the strong links between the commercial and stewardship elements of this project. The new learning facilities and range of activities provided have not only created new jobs, but also contribute towards good management of the reserve. With the learning centre now established, the project is a valuable conservation and tourism asset for the area.
Rural Business Award
The Rural Business Award has been won by Tim Piper of Chapel Bank Farm on The Crown Estate’s Romney Marsh estate in Kent. The Pipers have constructed an integrated, well balanced and controlled business involving diverse arable and livestock enterprises and various diversified rural enterprises.
In 2005 they opened a successful meat cutting plant, ‘Piper’s Meats of Owley’ which now supplies local supermarkets, restaurants, caterers, farm shops, butchers and schools. Another very successful diversification involves growing willow to supply international cricket bat manufacturers, Gray Nicholls.
Alongside commercial activities, the Pipers have entered countryside stewardship schemes involving arable wetland reversion.
The judges were impressed by the efficiency and development of the Piper’s business operations, their responsible care of the environment and the fact that they have grown the business tenfold over the past 30 years.
Urban Business Award
The Urban Business Award has been awarded to Firmdale Hotels plc for their Haymarket Hotel. Firmdale Hotels plc was started in 1985, and now comprises seven boutique townhouse style hotels. The latest of these to open is the Haymarket Hotel, which is housed in a Georgian townhouse owned by The Crown Estate.
Firmdale strives to ensure that guests receive a standard of service beyond their expectations, putting guests at the heart of the business and constantly assessing and raising standards. This is clearly paying dividends for the company, which enjoys a repeat business rate of 50% across the group.
The judges were impressed by the demonstrable commercial success enjoyed by Firmdale over the last 20 years and in particular by their customer service ethos, which they felt, aligned very closely with The Crown Estate’s core values.
