Final call for Scotland's hotspots to stake their claim as champions of enterprise
Locations in Scotland which are tackling the economic downturn head on by creating jobs, boosting local businesses and nurturing budding entrepreneurial talent have just three weeks left to get in the running to be crowned the UK's most enterprising place.
Business Minister, Lord Mandelson, is calling for hotspots of innovation - places where a culture of enterprise is supporting and encouraging entrepreneurs and businesses, helping them to survive the downturn and emerge stronger on the other side - to enter the Enterprising Britain 2009 competition and have their efforts recognised on a national scale.
The Enterprising Britain competition, a key part of the Government's drive to create the right conditions for enterprise across the UK, is seeking out areas of enterprise excellence in Scotland, such as villages, towns, cities and neighbourhoods, with transformational success stories which deserve to be rewarded and shared.
Launching the competition, Secretary of State for Business, Lord Mandelson, said, "Enterprise is a long-term investment for the future and crucial for success in the current economic climate. In a downturn, it is more important than ever that entrepreneurs are supported and have the confidence they need to develop their ideas.
Terry Currie, director of Enterprise for Scottish Enterprise, commented, "Scotland is full of entrepreneurial spirit and the Enterprising Britain competition is a great opportunity to showcase how Scotland is successfully using enterprise to improve our social and economic prospects. I would encourage all of the innovative projects out there that have used entrepreneurial spirit to make Scotland a better place to live and work to enter, and have a chance at being crowing the UK's enterprise champion."
The Scottish winner of last year's hotly contested Enterprising Britain competition was Heart of Hawick, who went through to compete in the UK-wide competition. Heart of Hawick is an arts and culture-led regeneration project designed to make a substantial contribution to the social, cultural and economic regeneration of the town and the wider Borders area. Through the regeneration of two key derelict buildings in Hawick's West End - Tower Mill and the Corn Exchange - the project has created jobs, provided services for young people and training for inclusion groups.
Among the project's successes are bringing a cinema back to Hawick following a 25 year absence, and increasing tourism through the regenerated tourist attractions. Engaging with young people has been a key priority and 255 pupils from the local High School worked with artist Jane Gaze to create a Civic Space outside the new Heritage Hub. Each pupil created an individual ceramic cobble into which they impressed their surname reflecting and embracing the multicultural nature of the town.
This year Enterprising Britain is encouraging business-led projects, along with those led by public and voluntary sector groups, from across Scotland, which have transformed their local communities to enter the awards and gain recognition for their fantastic work.
Enterprising Britain is free to enter and is open to all places in Scotland that can demonstrate the impact enterprise has had on their community over the past two years. To register interest contact Gillian Grant on 01506 844 611 or email your contact details to enterprisingbritain@makeyourmark.org.uk
Application forms can also be downloaded from the Enterprising Britain website. Entries must be submitted by 30 April 2009 and the winner will be announced in October. The competition is run by Make Your Mark, on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), working in close partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Enterprising Britain
- Enterprising Britain is a nationwide competition that celebrates and recognises enterprise achievement throughout all the regions of the UK. For more information please visit the Enterprising Britain website.
- 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 for the competition run from 25 February to 29 May 2009. The 12 regional winners will be visited by members of the judging panel over the summer
- The overall winner and runner-up of Enterprising Britain 2009 will be entered into a Europe-wide competition - the European Enterprise Awards. 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 European Enterprise Awards are open to the 27 Member States of the European Union as well as Iceland, Norway and Turkey.