A GROUNDS and field maintenance business based near Hatherleigh has been named among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday, the campaign that culminates in the UK’s dedicated day for small businesses on December 3.

JRM Agricultural, which was set up in 2015 by Royal Agricultural University graduate James Miller, undertakes a wide range of contracting services, including chemical application through a boom sprayer, weed wiping and flail mowing, as well as garden maintenance, knapsack spraying, chain sawing and mini digger works.

The business, whose service is aimed primarily at small-scale farmers, landowners and equestrian set-ups that cannot justify owning the equipment themselves, will now be among the select number of companies to be featured by the Small Business Saturday campaign one per day for the 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday itself.

James said: ‘Having lived on a small farm, I looked at what we struggled with and getting contractors in to do agricultural jobs was very hard. This was both a huge opportunity and a gamble, but since launch, the business has gone from strength to strength. We aim to help the smallholder become more efficient and increase their home-grown produce, allowing them to grow.

‘Being based near Hatherleigh in West Devon, we source all of our replacement parts of machinery, chemical products and servicing from other local small businesses. With Hatherleigh being an area of rural poverty it is essential that my business supports other small businesses in the area to encourage growth in the local economy.’

Small Business Saturday is already the UK’s most successful small business campaign. This is the fourth year of the campaign, which last year saw £623-million spent with small businesses across the UK on Small Business Saturday, an increase of £119-million or 24 per cent on the previous year. The campaign trended at number one in the UK on Twitter on the day with more than 100,000 campaign-related tweets being sent. Over 75% of local councils supported the campaign, giving considerable national reach into local communities.

The campaign is a nationwide promotional and marketing tool for small businesses. It is totally free to participate and any small businesses can get involved —from one-man-bands, through to a high growth office, and from tradesmen to social media gurus. In addition to the big day, the campaign also delivers help and advice alongside opportunities to connect with other small businesses.