Chris Beards of Port Erin's Mantons Cards has won The Local Hero Award in The British Independent Retailer of the Year Awards and Mantons was also the runner up in The Retail Team of the Year Award.

As well as collecting the trophy Mantons was also given ?1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice and decided to donate all the money to local charity Crossroads Care.

The Local Hero award is given to a retailer who has engaged with their community and supported local initiatives. "Mantons fundraising for local charities is a core part of the business" commented the judging panel, "we were so impressed with their local charity work that Mantons was a clear winner."

"As no finalists are announced until the evening I was equally surprised and delighted to hear my name as the winner" commented Chris Beards "I was even more delighted to realise that part of the prize was a ?1,000 to donate to a charity of our choice."

‘Crossroads Care have been lucky enough to work in partnership with Mantons Cards several times in the past couple of years, and it is always a pleasure' commented Julia Cullen from Crossroads.

'Chris and his team have such a welcoming nature and their customer service always shines through. Most recently we worked together on a local Craft Competition in which the winner was able to display and sell their work within Mantons Card shop. The Local Hero award is much deserved and all at Crossroads Care appreciate the money that has been raised by Mantons on behalf of our charity.’

After winning last year's British Independent Retailer of the Year the judges further commented: “Mantons stood out as having a broad variety of achievements which impressed the judges, not just working to improve one aspect of their business but many elements at the same time. As the only Manx company to ever reach the final, Mantons has put the Isle of Man firmly on the retail map.” said Julie Conway head of BIRA events, "Just being selected as one of the five finalists is an amazing achievement for a retailer on a small island, considering that Mantons are up against some really prestigious businesses in some large cities."

"Winning last year felt like a fantastic achievement but I was especially excited that this year the awards specifically recognized the whole Mantons team, who contribute so much to making Mantons so popular with so many people on the Island", owner Chris Beards commented. “Having previously won awards for our customer service, product selection, marketing and window displays within the greetings card and gift sectors, it’s fantastic to be recognised by the UK's only awards that are open to every independent retailer in the British Isles.”

The Awards, now in their 18th year, were launched by the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) to recognise and reward the very best independent retailers in the U.K. and to celebrate inspiring businesses who are leading the way and exceeding in challenging times.

Every independent shop in the UK was eligible for the competition and the finalists are chosen on a range of qualities including the quality of products offered, customer shopping experience, and customer service. Of special interest to the judges were forward thinking, innovation and team work.

Since 2010 Mantons has now won sixteen national awards including 'Independent Retailer of the Year', plus being named as one of the top 100 small businesses in the UK in 2015 alone.

"The Mantons team are thrilled to be successful in two prestigious national awards on the same evening" summarized Chris Beards "I couldn't be more proud that our small team is receiving well deserved recognition on a national stage and that we are further able to help such a fantastic local charity as Crossroads".

Photo - Chris Beards at the Awards Ceremony.