An inspirational St Albans entrepreneur is a finalist in a prestigious national award.

Anne Timpany of On Tap Plumbers is one of 21 finalists in the 15th annual NatWest Everywoman awards - she has been nominated in the Athena category, which recognises women who have been running businesses of only six to nine years old.

After leaving New Zealand to travel the world and develop her hospitality career, Anne met her Albanian plumber husband Raff in London.

Combining their respective skill-sets, Anne and Raff founded On Tap Plumbers in 2010 and honed in on commercial plumbing in 2014.

Despite facing difficulties breaking into the industry, in just three years they are now invited to tender for major developments and have 50 plumbers and seven apprentices across seven construction sites in London.

On Tap Plumbers have also been involved with creating iconic buildings such as Leadenhall building ‘The Cheesegrater’, 20 Fenchurch Street ala ‘The Walkie Talkie’, Leicester Square, Facebook Headquarters and currently, the Canary Wharf development.

As 45 per cent of the construction workforce is from oversees, On Tap Plumbers have faced the challenge of Brexit head on by inspiring the next generation of plumbers in London colleges.

She was selected for the award by 18 of Britain’s top businesswomen including Chrissie Rucker, Cath Kidston, Rosaleen Blair and Poonam Gupta.

Everywoman co-founder Maxine Benson said: “We believe women from all backgrounds should have a platform to share their success stories and highlight what can be achieved even when faced with life’s biggest challenges. This year’s finalists are a true testament to the breadth of female talent in this country and we wish them all continued success.”

NatWest’s head of enterprise Julie Baker, said: “We are very proud to recognise these women, who are not just successful in their own businesses, but are also great role models. The importance of women in business cannot be underestimated, so we hope these role models will inspire other women to take their first steps in business.”

Winners will be announced on December 6 at The Dorchester in London.