A business has been recognised for its manufacturing at a regional awards ceremony.

Clipper Teas, which is based in Beaminster, scooped the runner-up award for Best Rural Manufacturing Business at the south west regional heats of the UK-wide Rural Business Awards.

Andrew Stenton, site director at Clipper Teas, said: "Clipper has been based in west Dorset since the company launched in 1984.

"While Clipper is sold in more than 50 countries worldwide, the teas are still blended and packed on site in Beaminster, where the company has more than 100 permanent employees.

"The Rural Business Awards are a vital way to raise the profile of the rural sector.

"We are proud to be the largest employer in west Dorset and are continuing to invest in the rural region, and this recognition really is testament to the incredible work of every single member of our staff."

The company received the award at a ceremony held at Bath Racecourse.

The awards, which are now in its fourth year, were set up by Leicestershire businesswomen Anna Price and Jemma Clifford who wanted to showcase the wealth of entrepreneurial talent in rural areas of Britain, a sector they felt was too-often overlooked.

It is run in partnership with Amazon.

Awards co-founder, Jemma Clifford, said: "Anna and I are so proud to be hosting the fourth annual Rural Business Awards together with Amazon.

"When we started the awards we wanted to shine a much-needed light on successful rural firms but the success of the RBAs is beyond what we ever imagined.

"We were blown away with the diversity of our entries this year so winning a prize is an extraordinary achievement, hearty congratulations to Clipper Teas."

For more information about the awards, you can visit ruralbusinessawards.co.uk