The Best Rural Retailer competition received a massive 2,000 nominations between September and early November - three times the number of nominations received in 2005 and a huge credit to both nominees and their loyal customers. These 2,000 nominations were all impressive and showed us the terrific diversity, passion and spirit of retailing in a modern countryside.

Sadly, much as we would have liked to, we could not name 2,000 winners, so the nominations were whittled down to a handful of finalists in each category in each region who then went forward to the national finals. The short listed finalists impressed us with their dedication to their communities, for whom they all routinely go out of their way. Click on your region in the left-hand column to view your short list.

* The Southern region, led by Regional Director Sara Rutherford in conjunction with her county committees, ran the competition at county level first and then at regional level. Sara's short lists were therefore more of a semi-final than a final, and the competition in her region was particularly fierce. Sara's counties are Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.