TWO cousins who run a cleaning company have been nominated for a top award.

Liam Hargreaves and Jason Hough, who run Risley-based Rainbow International Warrington, have been shortlisted in the Next Generation category at the HSBC British Franchise Awards

The award is open to franchisees aged 35 and under, and the pair have been shortly after ‘successfully managing to scale up the business in the six years they have owned and operated’ the disaster recovery and specialist cleaning service.

Jason, 32, said: “At the age of 17, we both started out as assistant trainee technicians working for the Rainbow International franchise in Morecambe.

“We quickly developed in to senior trained and proactive technicians with a lot of ambition on how we wanted to move forward.

“Liam and I were both overjoyed with finding out we have been shortlisted for the Next Generation Award.

“It is at times like this that we can really reflect and see how far we have come as a business.

“When working in the business every day, it is easy to oversee the great successes we have achieved so far as for us it is all part of the job.

“We are lucky that both Liam and I work well as a partnership, and being a Rainbow International franchise provides us with a proven and successful system to follow.”

Winners will be named during a ceremony at the Vox in Birmingham in November.

BFA chief executive Pip Wilkins QFP said: “With both Liam and Jason starting their journey with Rainbow International at the age of 17, it is fantastic to see them continuing this and becoming franchisees.

“You can see over the five years how they have grown and created a really successful business.”

Andrew Brattesani, head of franchising at HSBC, added: “Liam and Jason have really focused on scaling up, now employing nine members of staff to help them, proactive in going out and getting new business and sustaining it for the future to come – becoming one of the network’s most successful franchise territories.”