STAFF at Worcester-based Airband Community Internet have been enjoying a double award celebration.

The pioneering internet service provider scooped the national best entrepreneur of the year award and the regional best small business award at the National Family Business Awards.

The awards are organised and hosted by Family Business Place and celebrated their 10th anniversary last week with the ceremony at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Airband’s win follows its success as a finalist in two categories of the Internet Service Provider Awards, which took place last month.

Airband was founded in 2009 by husband and wife team Redmond and Miranda Peel. During the last three years it has won a string of national and regional awards for its work delivering superfast broadband projects worth £23 million to at least 34,000 homes and businesses in rural areas.

Airband director Red Peel said: “We’re delighted to have won these prestigious awards. In the post-Brexit world, tech-focused innovation is even more of a game-changer for British business. Broadband is regarded as the fourth utility service but large swathes of rural areas have poor or intermittent service.

“Robust rural broadband needs a blend of different technologies and we’re proud to be playing our part in creating the best possible infrastructure for rural broadband.

“Going forwards, I think the focus should be not just on rolling out faster services, but also about working out why people with faster options haven’t upgraded."

Amalia Brightley-Gillott, managing director from Family Business Place, added: "This year was our biggest awards so far with 350 people descending upon Wembley Stadium from all four corners of the UK and Ireland.

"It gave us great honour to celebrate regional winners from around the country."