CONSISTENT growth year on year – that's the proud boast of Rutland Cycling.

The company, based on the shores of Rutland Water, employs 60 people to run its retail, leisure and tourism activities and has expanded from one retail site to four which cover a range of outdoor activities and a distribution centre.
It has also embraced the importance of online retail through rutlandcycling.com and an eBay shop.
The company focuses strongly on value for money, offering high quality at affordable prices to customers who return time and time again, including one who has been buying bikes at Rutland Cycling for 30 years.
Community involvement is also important to the company, with its close relationship with Stamford Skatepark in the fundraising bid to create a new park for the town and its people, and supporting the launch of Velo Club Rutland promoting cycling with regular rides and team events.
Free bikes were supplied to Oakham police station when launching the 'bobbies on bikes' initiative to get police on bikes back into the community, and the company offers access to the government's Cycle to Work scheme, enabling savings on the overall cost of a bike and the opportunity to spread the payments at the same time.
Sales director Steve Gill said: "We feel very honoured and excited to have reached the finals in the Mercury Business Awards. We have seen many fantastic businesses win in the past and we are thrilled to be associated with them.
"We pride ourselves on offering a friendly environment where our staff can ensure that our customers are served to the highest standards. Although we have grown to be one of the biggest cycle retailers in the UK we have still maintained our core values of good customer service and competitive prices."

Awards Night! (view pictures)

ABOUT 200 people attended a glittering awards ceremony last night to celebrate the best of business in our area.
The fourth Mercury business awards, held at Greetham Valley Hotel, Golf and Conference Centre, rewarded those who had risen above the recession.

Guests enjoyed a three-course meal before watching video clips of the 21 finalists in seven categories.

The Mercury's deputy editor Mike Roberts, who hosted the evening, said: "Since we were last here a year ago we have had something of a challenging time.

"Despite the challenges facing everybody, there are still opportunities out there."