A Powys research company that helps represent rural voices has picked up a major national award.

FieldMouse Research, co-founded by Sarah Morris of Montgomery, Powys, has picked up a major gong at the Market Research Society (MRS) Operations Awards.

The company prides itself for championing “the fair representation of rural, regional and rarely heard voices in all market research”.

"When my business partner Paul Flatters and I co-founded FieldMouse five years ago, it was very much with this social purpose of getting rural voices heard in the research industry,” said Ms Morris.

“Our clients' research doesn't just inform marketing strategies - it often feeds into government policy so we felt it was critically important to address this rural blind spot in the research industry.

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Affectionately known as the 'Oppies', the awards, which were held in London last week, recognise the operational side of market research, a £7bn industry in the UK with a market size 2nd only to the US.

For the first time this year, the MRS Oppies included a category for Recruitment Excellence, referring to the recruitment of participants for qualitative research projects - usually focus groups and in-depth interviews where participants are paid for sharing their views.

Seven fieldwork agencies were shortlisted, and FieldMouse faced strong competition from long-established businesses.

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However, the night was FieldMouse's with the judges highlighting its "focus on social purpose to ensure the fair representation of rural voices in research." The team was also the only winner of the evening to wear sparkly mouse ears.

“To have our achievements recognised in the very first year of this major new MRS Oppies award is the most incredible feeling”, added Ms Morris.

“I hope it also goes some way to reassure the farming and rural communities who take part in our clients' research that their voices are now being heard. This award is for them."