Chipping Norton woman receives Great British Entrepreneur of the Year award

Chipping Norton entrepreneur Clare Anderson with her Great British Entrepreneur of the Year award.

A business woman from near Chipping Norton has been named the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for services to the beauty and wellbeing industry.

Clare Anderson, who struggled in school and was later diagnosed with dyslexia, said winning health and beauty entrepreneur in the south-east region was a fitting tribute to her nearly 15 years of entrepreneurship.

In 2009, the 47-year-old mother introduced luxury Lava Shells massage to the UK and Ireland, with her very first account being Bali Leha spa on Sir Richard Branson's private Necker Island in the Caribbean.

Now Clare’s self-heating shells are used in over 2,000 high-end spas, and her company Shared Beauty Secrets has trained over 10,000 therapists in their use.

One of Clare's best selling products, the the lavender-smelling Luna Eyes self-heating face mask.

After the pandemic collapsed the spa industry, Clare launched two new products she had designed herself, the self-heating eye and face masks, which generated vital income for her and her clients.

Clare said: "With the first lockdown, the professional spa and salon industry essentially closed for a total of nine months. Overnight I lost my income.

"I had no choice but to bring forward the launch of my Sensory Retreats self-heating masks by a year. It was a scary time as we had to move very quickly, but it proved to be absolutely the right decision.

Talking about the national award, Clare added: "It feels fantastic to have been recognised at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards and to have collected my award alongside a number of other amazing people running all kinds of different businesses."

Judge at the awards ceremony, Johnny Paterson, said: "Clare has had so much deserved success over a period of time and I've been impressed with how she has grown the business in the face of adversity."

The annual Great British Entrepreneur Awards, which this year celebrated 10 years and took place at the five star Grosvenor House Hotel in London's Westminster, rewards the country's most exceptional business leaders.

Over 5,000 people entered this year's awards and the ceremony saw 1,400 entrepreneurs and colleagues join together to celebrate a collective £2 billion generated in turnover and over 17,000 jobs.