Northumberland business wins best rural innovation in the National Rural Business Awards
Following on from our success in the Regional awards, Calibrate Energy are thrilled to have been acknowledged as national winners in the best rural innovation category in the Rural Business Awards (RBA) for their ground-breaking approach to designing, installing and maintaining renewable systems for agri-businesses.
Nestled between Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed in rural Northumberland, the business continues to be at the forefront of the renewables industry in their quest for innovation. This award, sponsored by the National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE), further demonstrates that even small and remotely located businesses can be pioneers in the national business arena. It is Calibrate’s third accolade in a year including one gold award for technical innovation at the Highland Show Awards and Installer of the Year at the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards.
Speaking after winning the prestigious award for Best Rural Innovation, Susie McDonald co-founder of Calibrate Energy said: “The competition for this category this year was exceptional, and we are ecstatic Calibrate Energy has won a National Rural Business Award against such strong competition.
“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do and visibility like this helps us to get closer to our vision of making net zero a reality for businesses through innovative technologies. Our company puts a lot of effort into customer satisfaction, and we are thrilled that our efforts have been recognised with this award.”
To date Calibrate have installed 300MW of heat pumps and renewables to rural businesses, whilst preventing the release of tens of thousands of tonnes (and counting) of carbon into the atmosphere.
The Rural Business Awards, continue with the aim to recognise businesses operating right across the rural sector, to acknowledge the breadth and depth of opportunity presented by the Great British countryside, as well as to celebrate the achievements of rural businesses, from engineering through to artisan food producers and professional services organisations.
Director and Co-Founder of The RBA, Jemma Clifford, added: “We are very proud to host the seventh annual Rural Business Awards in partnership with Amazon, especially after the past 18 months. On behalf of the Rural Business Awards team, I would like to say congratulations to Calibrate Energy for this very well-deserved win and wish them all the best for the future.”
The awards are decided by an independent panel of judges drawn from the rural business sector, official agencies and rural charitable organisations. Feedback from the panel acknowledged Calibrate’s role at the heart of rural business supporting the local community and said they were at the forefront of emerging technology, with a clear ethos towards sustainability.
NICRE, which sponsored the Best Rural Innovation award won by Calibrate Energy, combines academic research with practical application to find new ways of fostering rural enterprise and unlocking the potential of rural economies.
Commenting on the win, Melanie Thompson-Glen, business development manager at NICRE, based at Newcastle University, said: “Huge congratulations to Calibrate Energy on winning this national award. They show innovation in rural business at its best and epitomise the breadth of enterprise we have in this country, while being a trailblazer for the rural economy and a great supporter of their local community.
“We hope their success inspires other rural firms to innovate and grow their businesses. The aim is to grow The Rural Business Awards to become the UK’s most prestigious and respected awards for rural businesses and to develop a strong network and community of rural business owners.”
With Amazon as the main sponsor for the third year running, other sponsors this year in addition to NICRE included O2 Business, Harper Adams University and Fisher German.
