A BUSINESS which has been going the extra mile over the past nine months has scooped an award from the local MP.

Billy Bell Fish Game & Poultry of Haltwhistle has become the latest winner of Hexham MP’s Guy Opperman’s Small Business Awards.

But in bestowing the latest honour, Mr Opperman said there were many other success stories during what has been an unprecedented and immensely challenging year.

The MP described small businesses as the “engine room” of the local economy, and commended over 100 others which had been nominated for their outstanding work during 2020.

He said: “Our small businesses are not just the engine room of our local economy, but of our communities too. My Small Business Awards are a great opportunity to celebrate the work of so many vital local businesses.

“This year’s winner - Billy Bell’s - has such a long-standing reputation for looking after customers in Haltwhistle, and the wider community, and is managed and run by a great team - many congratulations to them on winning this award.

“The awards also commended many other businesses which received nominations from the community - these included Bellingham Post Office, Richard Skeet Electronics, North Acomb Farm Shop, J.A. Stobo & Son Greengrocer and many others. Congratulations to all those businesses commended.”

The awards coincided with Small Business Saturday in early December, a campaign which reminds people all of the importance of small and independent retailers and encourages communities to support small local businesses.

A family business, Billy Bell’s is now run by father and son Miles and Cameron Bell, alongside a dedicated team of eight staff.

Cameron said: “It’s brilliant to get recognition, especially in a year such as this one when we’ve worked a lot of additional hours because of the circumstances of the pandemic. It certainly is an honour to receive this award.”

Renowned for its fresh local produce and high levels of customer service, Billy Bell’s covers Haltwhistle and surrounding rural communities.

“We’ve done well to meet the challenges,” said Cameron. “A lot of people have been self isolating and we’ve been delivering orders, at times working 15 or 16 hours a day -not just us but the staff as well.

“We have a dedicated team, with a lot of service between staff members, which is good for the customer, and we’ve really wanted to support everyone as best we possibly can."

With Christmas around the corner, Billy Bell’s is now catering for between 500 and 600 festive orders, including turkey, chicken and poultry.

“We want to thank everyone and wish them all the best,” said Cameron.