Cloud Nine Gems in St Ives has been crowned England's best gift shop at the England Business Awards 2022.

Owner at the time, Kerry Puryer and new owner Sarah Dodge attended the national awards ceremony in Birmingham on November 13, and both said they couldn't quite believe it when it was announced.

Kerry said: "It was amazing really. When they called out our name, we couldn’t get off our chairs!

“This was just a really lovely way to bow out and great for Sarah to continue.”

The independent jewellery and gift store was nominated anonymously into the competition and voted the best gift shop in Cambridgeshire in September, which meant they qualified for the grand final.

The shop, which sells a range of jewellery, handbags, scarves and many other accessories, was visited by secret shoppers who judged the store.

The judges then put the shop forward to a public vote.

Kerry said the company's team of three, including Sam Kotridis, always go the extra mile for customers and are still on "cloud nine" from the "fabulous recognition".