Peterborough's Up The Garden Bath named as one of UK's most inspiring small businesses
Peterborough community project Up The Garden Bath has been named as one of the UK’s 100 most inspiring small businesses.
The accolade comes from the national Small Business Saturday campaign as it starts its annual appeal to the public to champion and support the UK’s favourite independent businesses.
Up The Garden Bath will be profiled and celebrated by the campaign on November 6 as part of the 100-day countdown to Small Business Saturday UK.
The Small Business campaign aims to encourage consumers to shop locally and move their spending to independent retailers rather than large chains.
Kez Hayes-Palmer, Co-Founder of Up The Garden Bath, which since its launch in 2020 has engaged more than 30,000 people through educational and community projects, said: “Being recognised as part of the SmallBiz100 is an incredible honour.
"When we started, our goal was to turn waste into something meaningful for the community.
"Today, through our educational work and the success of our Unity store, we’ve been able to support thousands of people, small businesses, and families.
She said: "This recognition is a celebration of the amazing community that has grown around us, and we hope it inspires even more people to support local businesses.”
Two years ago Up The Garden Bath opened the Unity community retail hub in the Queensgate Shopping Centre in Peterborough.
Over that time Unity has generated £725,000 plus in sales for local product makers and welcomed 25,000 visitors to its free Create & Craft area.
Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday UK, said: “Small businesses are the nation’s favourite businesses – bringing immeasurable value to our local communities and powering the wider economy.
"Firms like Up The Garden Bath in this year’s SmallBiz100 represent some of the UK’s most-loved small businesses.
"It is so important that we encourage public support for small businesses up and down the country, as many are still facing a host of challenges as they enter this critical final stretch of the year.”
It is another accolade for Up The Garden Bath whose founders were invited to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace earlier this year in recognition of their positive impact on the community.