This week the Somerset Business Awards for 2018 will be holding their annual awards ceremony and we are excited to share that Sparks and Daughters have made it through to the final three of the Albert Goodman Family Business of the Year Award. It's been a long road to this point and the Sparks family are all very much looking forward to the awards night.

This was the very first business awards that Deborah and Verity decided to enter their company in to and it all started earlier this year, during the summer. The first stage in the process was to submit an 800-word statement, explaining the history of Sparks and Daughters, as well as what makes the company such a successful family business and how the directors saw the company evolving in time. This was submitted along with a few additional supporting documents at which point, there was nothing left to do but wait.

About a week after the deadline, an email was received confirming the entry had been successful and that Sparks and Daughters had made it onto the first shortlist. The next stage involved a visit from one of the judges who came to the studio to meet the team and learn more about how the business operates. He also spent time with Deborah and Verity, to find out more about their experiences running a business together as a family, and their hopes for the future of the company.

About two weeks following the Judge's visit some more wonderful news arrived! Sparks and Daughters' had been selected as one of three finalists in their category and were invited to attend the awards ceremony and dinner. In preparation for the event, a group of film students from the local college visited to make a short video with Deborah and Verity, to be shown on the night of the awards.

It is now only a matter of days before the Sparks Team find out which of the three finalists is announced as the winner of the Albert Goodman Family Business of the Year Award and whatever the outcome, everyone is immensely proud of just how far we have come!