Royal award for baby-care firm

A baby-care company, set up by a couple three years ago and now exporting worldwide, has won a Queen’s Award For Enterprise.

4fx Healthcare Ltd, run by husband and wife Mr John Soulsby and Sarah Giles, of Syerston, won a Queen’s Award For Outstanding Innovation.

The award recognises their marketing strategy for Baby nose-clear, a range of products for use from birth that naturally clear infants’ nasal congestion.

4fx won because of: “Substantial improvement in business performance and commercial success sustained since launch for levels that are outstanding for the size of the business.”

The company was one of 11 East Midlands’ winners, announced on The Queen’s Birthday, on Monday.

4fx, based in Edwinstowe, was one of the three smallest firms in the UK to earn an award.

With just three staff, it has been working with health professionals to let mothers know about Baby nose-clear, which is stocked by Boots, Tesco, Mothercare, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons.

It is also being exported to Ireland and New Zealand and is about to launch in Australia.

The Queen’s Award will be presented to Mr Soulsby and Sarah Giles by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Sir Andrew Buchanan, at their Edwinstowe offices.

In July, the couple will be invited to a Queen’s Award celebration at Buckingham Place.

On Tuesday they attended a reception at Whitehall where they met the Duke of Gloucester.

Mr Soulsby said: “We had no expectations whatsoever. We are a tiny niche company and were advised to go for a Queen’s Award but never imagined we would be successful.”

The award is one of several for the company.

In October they won Young Business Of The Year at the Spirit of Enterprise Awards, run by Nottinghamshire Business Venture, the agency that supports start-up companies.

In April they were awarded Best East Midlands Healthcare Start Up Company by Medilink.