The award for Service to the community, in association with Booker:

Winner: Julie Duhra, Premier Jules Convenience store, Telford

Julie is a pillar of her local community, donating raffle prizes, sponsoring customers, giving away products to local events and running a half marathon for a local hospice. Julie organises events like coffee mornings to raise money and obtained £40,000 from local businesses and the council to get the road outside tarmacked, creating parking outside the shop.

She’s always thinking of her customers, gaining funds to create flowerbeds outside the shop to make the area more attractive and installing benches so local children can gather and talk without obstructing other customers.

Secrets to success:

Winner: Julie Duhra
Store name: Premier Jules Convenience store, Telford
Learn more about Service to the community

1. Julie is mindful of customers of all ages and looks for ways to help them. Engaging with local people and learning from them is vital, she says.
2. Julie organises events for her community, such as a recent in-store coffee morning to raise money for a local hospice and MacMillan cancer support.
3. Julie involves the community in everything she organises, from the garden she has just created to the benches placed outside the store customers to sit on.

To see the full list of finalists, visit our IAA page.