Family-run holiday site near Harborough up for national award

A family-run holiday site near Market Harborough is in with a shout of carrying off a leading business honour.

Brook Meadow has won a string of prestigious awards since being set up on a traditional working farm deep in the picturesque rolling countryside circling the village of Sibbertoft 28 years go.

Now the 20-acre glamping, camping and caravanning centre, just the flight of a cannonball from the pivotal Battle of Naseby in the English Civil War in June 1645, has been shortlisted in the 2020/21 final of the coveted Amazon-backed Rural Business Awards.

The daughter of owners Jasper and Mary Hart, delighted Claire Hart, who runs the holiday operation, told the Harborough Mail: “It’s a great achievement to be shortlisted for a Rural Business Award.

“We are absolutely thrilled.”

Claire added: “We are extremely proud of our fantastic business here near Sibbertoft.

“And to receive recognition like this from a company like Amazon is incredibly exciting for us here at Brook Meadow.”

The Rural Business Awards have been masterminded by Leicestershire businesswomen Anna Price and Jemma Clifford.

They are determined to showcase the wealth of entrepreneurial talent across Britain.

Anna said: “We are very proud of the rural sector and all that it’s achieved during this tumultuous year and we’re grateful to be able to highlight its amazing talent.

“We’d like to commend Brook Meadow for this great achievement.

“We wish them and the rest of the shortlisted-businesses all the best for the final.”

John Boumphrey, UK country manager, Amazon, said: “This year has been challenging for many rural businesses and it’s more important than ever to show our support for them.

“The Rural Business Awards are a great opportunity to highlight the outstanding contribution of rural businesses to the UK’s economy.

“I would like to congratulate Brook Meadow and all the nominees on being shortlisted and wish them luck ahead of the national final.”

He added: “Thousands of small businesses from rural areas selling on Amazon now export to customers around the world.

“To date small businesses on Amazon have created over 85,000 jobs.”

The awards will be judged and run online amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Finalists will skip the regional finals and compete against fellow rural businesses and entrepreneurs at the National Final Awards Ceremony on Thursday February 25, 2021.

Brook Meadow has been in Jasper’s family for 107 years since 1913 and has grown from a working farm into what it is today.

Jasper inherited the 400-acre farm, which is steeped in history stretching back many centuries, from his father when he was a young man.

The fields all have archaic names based on typography and historical events that took place either on or nearby.

One field is memorably called Cromwell Corner because it’s thought it was used as a base camp by soldiers taking part in the famous Battle of Naseby just three miles away.

In 1992 Jasper and Mary built a gorgeous five-acre lake with the vision of allowing people to fish, camp or stay in a log cabin.

If you would like to find out more about Brook Meadow, visit their website here: https://www.brookmeadow.co.uk/