Kenilworth company named 'family business of the year' at regional awards

A Kenilworth business has been named 'family business of the year' at a regional awards ceremony.

Bear Cleaning, which is run by husband and wife Ted and Kate Hunter, was presented the award at the Midlands Service Excellence Awards 2020.

The awards (which were postponed five times due to the pandemic) recognise individuals and companies that offer excellent customer service.

Speaking about the business, the judges said: “Bear Cleaning truly has the feel of a family business.

"They demonstrated a real entrepreneurial spirit in a niche market with no previous experience.

"They started off on their own and only later sought help and advice and have achieved 60 per cent growth.”

Established in 2017, Bear Cleaning offers wheelie bin-cleaning, gutter-cleaning and other external domestic cleaning services.

It also works on commercial properties and has seen growth in this area - including cleaning the Coventry Building Society Arena (formerly the Ricoh) ahead of the new season and the Commonwealth Games.

On the Midlands Service Excellence Award, Kate said: “Ted and I were thrilled to win, especially as we faced competition from more experienced, multi-generational businesses.

"But what’s overwhelmed and humbled the whole family is the wave of congratulations we’ve received from the community."

The business is also looking to expand by providing employment opportunities to those in need.

Kate explained: “One of the reasons we entered the family business of the year award was to highlight our recruitment plan.

"We’re focused on offering employment to ex-servicemen and women who find themselves homeless or in financial difficulty.

"We recognise that wheelie bin cleaning is not necessarily an aspirational career choice and therefore believe it should fulfil a more meaningful social purpose.

"We aim to offer a ‘hand up’ rather than a ‘hand out’.

"The role can be a stepping stone to a different career, or (hopefully) our new staff members can grow and thrive within Bear Cleaning as we develop the roles accordingly. We’re still actively recruiting.”