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