Queen's award for Kintbury firm

Second Royal accolade for Benchmark

A KINTBURY firm have been named by Buckingham Palace today - the Queen’s birthday - as winners of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development.

It is the second time that furniture maker Benchmark has won a Queen’s award, the UK’s highest accolade for business success.

In the Award Citation, the judges noted: “A second Sustainable Development Award is made to Benchmark, a furniture maker having long established focus on craftsmanship, design and sustainability and an exemplary approach to transparency and accountability.”

Benchmark developed the world’s first wooden furniture with full Life Cycle Assessment results.

Prioritising local sourcing, to reduce material and personnel travel, it was the first furniture maker accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest certification.

Benchmark’s co-founder Sean Sutcliffe said: “Receiving this award for the second time is an achievement that the whole team at Benchmark is extremely proud of. We are not content to stand still and are constantly seeking ways to reduce our environmental impact and make a positive contribution to the local and wider environment.

For more than 25 years Benchmark has recruited young staff locally and trained them through an award winning Apprenticeship Programme.

Recent high profile projects include the new Cathedra and Cross for Leicester Cathedral and a ‘digital double’ of Number 10 Downing Street door for the GREAT Festivals. At the end of May, Benchmark joins with Fixperts, a worldwide platform mobilising the valuable creative and social resource of fixing.

The partnership will establish the inaugural Fixperts Residency and Business Partnership Programme, which will commence at Benchmark’s workshops.