16 June 2009
No Limits to Pennine Lancashire the most enterprising place in
England’s Northwest
Beating stiff competition from across the region, East
Lancashire’s No Limits has today been named the most enterprising
place in England’s Northwest in the Government’s Enterprising
Britain competition.
Enterprising Britain 2009 is a nationwide competition run by
Enterprise Insight on behalf of the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills, and in partnership with the Regional
Development Agencies and Devolved Administrations.
Now in its fifth year, the competition celebrates and rewards
the most enterprising areas in the UK; those places of enterprise
excellence that have helped transform the social and economic
fortunes of their area.
No Limits impressed the judges with their innovative approach to
enterprise, using ways that would engage young people from Pennine
Lancashire. Uniquely No Limits were able to work with a number of
high profile Football Clubs in the area to set up enterprise
centres including Burnley’s Turf Moor Enterprise Haven and
Blackburn Rovers Enterprise Centre. The enterprise ‘havens’ are
part of a £30m programme to regenerate the Pennine Lancashire
economy through supporting new and growing businesses, creating up
to 13,000 jobs and 4,000 new businesses over the next decade.
Mark Hughes, Executive Director of Economic Development at the
Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) said:
“This year the Northwest round of the Enterprising Britain
Awards attracted a record number of entries, all of which were well
deserving of the prize. There’s no doubt that No Limits wowed the
judges, who this year had an immensely difficult decision to decide
on a winner.
“The Enterprising Britain Awards continue to strengthen the
enterprise culture in the UK, by raising the profile of enterprise
at a local, national and international level. The Awards provide a
model for organisations to aspire to, boosting best practice and
development on an individual and community scale.
Steve Hoyle, Director of the Pennine Lancashire No Limits
initiative said:
“Our starting point was that our area had low levels of business
start-ups and a poor enterprise culture. The No Limits
programme is all about removing barriers, encouraging ambition and
creating role models in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in
the country.
“Two years into the programme we now have 750 ambassadors for
the No Limits message within our target communities. We are
delighted to have been chosen to represent the England’s Northwest
as part of the Enterprising Britain competition.”
Earlier this year the NWDA, together with partners opened up the
regional competition to find its most enterprising place, with the
hope that they will be named overall winner in the national
Enterprising Britain 2009 final this October.
During June and July No Limits will be given the chance to prove
that they are worthy of the Enterprising Britain 2009 national
winner’s title when they are visited by members of a high profile
national judging panel. The Enterprising Britain 2009 winner will
go on to represent the UK at the European Enterprise Awards later
in the year.
Regional Runner-Up was Tameside Business Family – a support
service to increase enterprise in the area, promoting
self-employment to specific communities where there are few
enterprising models. Judges were impressed with the innovative
concept, led by the private sector and open to any business in
Tameside, large or small.
Councillor Kieran Quinn, Tameside MBC said:
“The Tameside Business Family were delighted to win the runner
up prize which we feel acknowledges the success of the work we have
done supporting local enterprise.”
For more information about the Enterprising Britain competition
and further details on how to enter, please visit www.enterprisingbritain.org.
-- ENDS --
Notes to Editors
• Enterprising Britain is a nationwide competition that
celebrates and recognises enterprise achievement throughout all the
regions of the UK. For more information please visit www.enterprisingbritain.org.uk.
• 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.
• 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.
• The regional heats ran from 25 February 2009 to 29 May
2009. The 12 finalists will be visited by members of the judging
panel over the summer.
• Enterprise Insight aims to increase levels of
entrepreneurship in the UK. It was founded by the four leading UK
business membership organisations – the British Chambers of
Commerce, the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses and the
Institute of Directors. It is supported by the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills and endorsed by the Prime Minister,
Gordon Brown. www.makeyourmark.org.uk
Contact
For further information please contact Shelley Tattersall, Press
Officer on 01925 400256 or mobile 07500 128482 or shelley.tattersall@nwda.co.uk
For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925
400259.
For further information and to view previous press releases
visit us at www.nwda.co.uk/press
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) leads the
economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and is
responsible for:
• Supporting business growth and encouraging
investment
• Matching skills provision to employer needs
• Creating the conditions for economic growth
• Connecting the region through effective transport and
communication infrastructure
• Promoting the region’s outstanding quality of life
For further details of the No Limits programme contact Catherine
Prest, Press Officer on 01254 295580 or see www.no-limits.org.uk/ for
further information