A BUSINESSWOMAN who helped rescue a century-old traditional sawmill from certain closure has been named as Yorkshire’s entrepreneur of the year.

Emma Woods, who bought Duncombe Sawmill, in Helmsley, less than six years ago, received the Yorkshire Rural Business award at a ceremony in Harrogate.

Mrs Woods – an antique silver expert who numbers cataloguing the Queen’s Buckingham Palace silver collection among her previous jobs – said: “I feel very honoured to have received such a prestigious award it means a huge amount to me.

“All of us at Duncombe Sawmill have worked hard over the last five years and I would like to thank the team here for all their support.”

The runners-up for the were Stuart and Brenda Price, of the Dales Bike Centre, near Reeth in Swaledale, and Gail Thomas of McConnell Thomas, which has stores in Kirkbymoorside and Hovingham.

The Himalayan Garden in Grewelthorpe, Ripon, won the Environmental Award.