THREE Craven firms are in the finals of the national Rural Business Awards, which seek to recognise excellence in a range of different business categories.

Skipton's Keelham Farm Shop, the Kilsney Park Estate, and Settle-based Lowe Maintenance Training are all through to the last stage of the awards in their relevant section - 'best food and drink,' 'best rural tourism' and 'best rural professional services' respectively.

The awards are the Britain's only dedicated national business awards for the rural community, run in partnership with the Country Landowners' Association and actively supported by the countryside sector as well as MPs.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony at The Belfry Hotel and Resort in the West Midlands on October 13.

Keelham Farm Shop has been shortlisted for its commitment to "top quality food from local producers," its innovative Veg Exchange Scheme and the weekly shopper-hopper bus service for customers.

The judges liked Kilsney Park Estate's "great local food" and wide range of activities, especially for children, on offer, while Lowe Maintenance impressed by providing training courses leading to City & Guilds qualifications, as well as specialist hobby courses.

The Rural Business Awards, now in their second year, were started to provide "an important showcase for some of our most exciting, pioneering and creative rural enterprises."

Jemma Clifford, joint founder of the Rural Business Awards said: “We were hugely impressed by the number and calibre of this year’s award entries. Last year, in its inaugural year, the Rural Business Awards showed just how many outstanding businesses there are across rural England, Scotland and Wales and this has been proved once again this year.

"The number of entrants has increased and the standard of entries is even higher than before. Every business that has been named as a finalist has demonstrated excellence in their particular category and to have reached this level in the competition is a testament to this. It is going to be a tough job to name the winners in such a strongly-fought competition.”

The CLA – a membership organisation for owners of land, property and business in England and Wales – partners the Rural Business Awards. CLA Director North Dorothy Fairburn said: “Rural businesses are not only the beating heart of the countryside, they also make a vital contribution to the wider economy. Around 600,000 rural businesses in England and Wales employ 3.4 million people but all too often this just isn’t recognised. The Rural Business Awards are an important showcase for some of our most exciting, pioneering and creative rural enterprises, and we congratulate all those that have been selected as finalists and are flying the flag for rural business.”

Director, Janine Edwards of St. James’s Place Wealth Management, which sponsors the Rural Business Awards, commented: "It is an enormous privilege for me and my team to be intimately involved in such a high profile event as the Rural Business Awards. The recognition that the awards will create for the finalists is well deserved and admirable. It is great to see an array of fantastic finalists, and there is much to be learnt from these successful companies. By celebrating their accomplishments we will incentivise others to follow in their footsteps.

“Our philosophy centres on establishing trust and building valuable, long term relationships and so we see these Awards as a wonderful opportunity to encourage a strong, tightly knit business community that works in the interests of everybody.”