The owner of Extra Help, a domestic home help service based in Plymouth, is celebrating after winning the Game Changer award, sponsored by the British Business Bank, at the British Chambers of Commerce’s annual Chamber Business Awards 2021.

The event, now in its 17th year, is one of the showpieces of the business calendar, highlighting the role of companies in delivering growth and prosperity for the UK and local communities. 

The judges were impressed with the firm’s ability to continue to expand its franchise model throughout the South-West despite the impact of the pandemic over the last 18 months.

The company, a member of the Devon and Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, was a stand-out example of how firms can continue to flourish by adapting to the changing business conditions caused by the pandemic. 

Sarah Howard, Chair of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: 

“The dedication of the owner of Extra Help, Claire Robinson, has to be seen to be believed. Having built her care business from scratch she has successfully franchised its operating model so that 3.5 million households now benefit from its services. At the same time, she has created a successful franchise consultancy which tripled its profits during the pandemic. Her drive, ethos of support and strong business acumen truly are an inspiration.”

Warren Ralls, Managing Director, UK Network, British Business Bank, said:

“This year’s Game Changer has demonstrated the ability to be both flexible and resilient in order to protect and drive the business through the pandemic to ensure it stayed on a sound business footing. Extra Help was able to continue to build on its momentum during this period and use their successful franchise model to enable many people from across the country to begin working for themselves.

“Businesses play a key role in the economic fightback after Covid-19 in their regions and the obvious hard work and talent shown by Extra Help Limited makes them a worthy winner and shows why it is such a South-West business success story.”