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UK's most enterprising places battle it out for award

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM News Release (2008/105) issued by The Government News Network on 9 June 2008

The 12 most enterprising places in the country were announced today as the finalists of this year's Enterprising Britain competition. The places show the depth of innovation of the projects that are helping to address social issues and turn the economies of local communities around.

In Luton, Scarborough and Hawick, a cultural renaissance has sparked town-wide regeneration and enterprise, whilst in Nottingham and Southampton science and technology businesses are booming having been nurtured through small-business incubator schemes. Combating climate change and creating opportunities for young people are common themes uniting all the enterprising places.

Announced today by the Department for Business, the 12 finalists are all hoping to win the title of the most enterprising place in Britain. They include a centre using carnival arts to transform lives; one of the largest, most successful bioscience business incubators in Europe; and a charity tackling deprivation in one of Northern Ireland's most divided areas.

As well as the UK Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton, BioCity Nottingham and the Ashton Community Trust in North Belfast, other finalists of Enterprising Britain 2008 include an arts and creative industries regeneration project in Scotland called Heart of Hawick; the Scarborough Renaissance Partnership which has turned around the prospects of a seaside town in decline; and Furness Enterprise which has inspired a low-skill, low-wage, low-aspiration population to become enterprising.

Launched in February by Make Your Mark on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprising Britain is a key part of the Government's drive to increase entrepreneurship in the UK. The competition identifies areas of enterprise excellence: those places that have created jobs, forged links in communities, and improved the local climate for businesses and residents. Innovative initiatives pioneered by this year's finalists include an Entrepreneur's Bootcamp in Plymouth, a Virtual College in Tynedale and a cropsharing scheme in Herefordshire.

The 12 projects that have been short listed were nominated by each of the nine Regional Development Agencies and three Devolved Administrations, and will compete against each other at the UK final in October to be crowned the national winner of Enterprising Britain 2008. The winner will then represent the UK in the European Enterprise Awards later this year.

The full list of this year's finalists are:

* Heart of Hawick, an arts and creative industries regeneration project, nominated by Scottish Enterprise & Highland and Islands Enterprise;

* Furness Enterprise, a public-private partnership supporting enterprise, nominated by North West Regional Development Agency;

* Herefordshire Council, which enables people and businesses to work together to bring about sustainable prosperity, nominated by Advantage West Midlands;

* Milbrook Technology Campus, based in Southampton transformed a redundant space into a successful enterprise hub, nominated by the South East England Development Agency;

* UK Centre for Carnival Arts, a Luton-based centre using carnival arts to transform lives, nominated by East of England Development Agency;

* Plymouth Business Growth, which offers enterprise support to deprived communities and encourages inward investment, nominated by the South West Regional Development Agency;

* Ashton Community Trust, a charitable organisation at the centre of the physical and social regeneration of a deprived area of North Belfast, nominated by Invest Northern Ireland;

* The Scarborough Renaissance Partnership, a community partnership working to transform the fortunes of a declining seaside resort, nominated by Yorkshire Forward;

* Tynedale Enterprise Network, which stimulates enterprise by engaging with small businesses in remote areas, nominated by One NorthEast;

* BioCity Nottingham, one of the largest and most successful bioscience business incubators in Europe, nominated by the East Midlands Development Agency;

* Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre, whose client-led business counselling scheme has enabled more than 600 young people to set up and develop their own businesses, nominated by the London Development Agency; and

* Mentor Mon, an engine for altruistic entrepreneurship in the Isle of Anglesey, nominated by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Business Minister Shriti Vadera said:

"I would like to congratulate the Enterprising Britain 2008 finalists for their enterprising sprit, innovation and hard work. A strong enterprise culture creates jobs, reverses decline in communities and attracts more people into business - all vital for the UK economy. We need more entrepreneurs like these finalists to continue to improve our international competitiveness and productivity. I hope others will be inspired by their success."

National competition judge, Peter Jones, entrepreneur and social enterprise ambassador added:

"I am inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit both shown by the projects and their communities. These twelve projects are beacons of entrepreneurship and social enterprise and their impact is being felt both in regions the length and breadth of the UK and, in some cases, across the world. The Enterprising Britain competition is a great chance to recognise people at a local level who have inspirational ideas and can galvanise communities and resources to create sustainable positive change."

The finalists have been recognised for their success in the regional heats. It is now up to an expert panel of national judges, who will be visiting the projects, to decide which one best deserves the accolade of most enterprising place in the UK.

Last year's national Enterprising Britain winner, North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone, helped reverse the economic decline of the area by setting up various innovative enterprise initiatives. As well as supporting over 500 new start-up businesses, and helping to create more than 1,000 new jobs, NSRZ, set up numerous enterprise education projects, including a "live" fruit trading floor game for primary school students that teaches the basics of profit and loss.

Media Opportunities

* For interviews with James Murray Wells or Claire Dove, entrepreneurs and Enterprising Britain national judges, please contact 020 7299 8764.

* More information about all Enterprising Britain 2008 finalists is available. Interviews and photography can also be arranged.

For further information on the Enterprising Britain competition please visit http://www.enterprisingbritain.org.uk or contact Katie Peden at Geronimo Communications on 020 7299 8751, Katie.peden@geronimocommunications.com For further information on the involvement of the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in Enterprising Britain, contact Alison Culshaw at the RDA Secretariat; Tel 020 7654 1552; alison.culshaw@rda-secretariat.com For further information on the European Enterprise Awards please visit http://www.european-enterprise-awards.org/ or contact Nicola Green at Geronimo Communications on 020 7299 8764 / 07863 543 951, icola.green@geronimocommunications.com

For further information on the Government's enterprise policy, please contact the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform press office Tel: 0207 215 5614. (Out of hours, Tel: 0207 215 3505).

Notes to Editors

1. Enterprising Britain is a nationwide competition that celebrates and recognises enterprise achievement throughout all the regions of the UK. For more information please visit http://www.enterprisingbritain.org.uk

2. Enterprising Britain is open to all places (in the UK) that can demonstrate how they have transformed the community through enterprise in the last two years. All entrants must represent an identifiable geographic area, such as a town, a city, a parish or neighbourhood and be able to demonstrate that enterprise is central to the economic and or social transformation of the place.

3. Enterprising Britain is run by Make Your Mark on behalf of the Department for Business and in close partnership with the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and the Devolved Administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and it is a key part of the Government's drive to increase rates of entrepreneurial activity in the UK.

4. The competition runs nationally across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and operates in two stages: a regional nomination stage and a national competition between the regional finalists 5. The regional heats ran from 18 February 2008 to 31 May 2008. The 12 finalists will be visited by members of the judging panel over the summer

6. The Enterprising Britain 2007 winner was North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone (http://www.nsrz.org) and the runner-up was The Paper Trail http://www.thepapertrail.org.uk

7. The Enterprising Britain 2006 winner was West Kilbride Craft & Design Town. For more information go to http://www.westkilbride.org.uk

8. The Enterprising Britain 2005 winner was Sherwood Energy Village, Ollerton. For more information go to http://www.sherwoodenergyvillage.co.uk

9. The overall winner and runner-up of Enterprising Britain 2007 were entered into a Europe-wide competition - the 'European Enterprise Awards' http://www.european-enterprise-awards.org/

10. The European Enterprise Awards are inspired by the Enterprising Britain Competition, and aim to reward local and regional initiatives that are improving business prospects. The Awards are open to the 25 Member States of the European Union as well as Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, Romania and Turkey

11. The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform helps UK business succeed in an increasingly competitive world. It promotes business growth and a strong enterprise economy, leads the better regulation agenda and champions free and fair markets. It is the shareholder in a number of Government-owned assets and it works to secure, clean and competitively priced energy supplies