Austin’s doubles-up on top regional awards
A Hertfordshire funeral director has been named the east of England’s ‘Business of the Year’ at an awards ceremony hosted by the British Chambers of Commerce.
But the accolades for Austin’s Funeral Directors didn’t stop there. Managing director Claire Austin scooped the region’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ title too, meaning double celebrations were in order for the 312-year-old firm.
Claire and the company are now through to the national finals where they will represent the east of England – hoping to be named as best in the country.
“I am absolutely thrilled to be in the national finals of such a prestigious competition,” said Claire, who is the 10th generation of her family to run the company. “Everybody at Austin’s works so hard to provide an outstanding service and it’s great when our efforts are officially recognised.”
The regional awards were presented at a meeting of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce. Guest speaker at the event was David Clarke of Clydesdale Bank who captained Team GB’s Paralympic blind football five-a-side team.
The national awards will be held on 29 November at London’s Guildhall. Now in its ninth year, the competition is one of the showcase events for the British Chambers of Commerce’s ‘Business is Good for Britain’ campaign, which aims to highlight the role of business as a positive force for the UK recovery.
Image: (L-R) David Clarke; Claire Austin; and Yolanda Rugg from Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce.