Member Article

UK's most enterprising places battle it out

The 12 most enterprising places in the country were announced last week 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.

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. Combating climate change and creating opportunities for young people are common themes uniting all the enterprising places.

Launched in February by Make Your Mark on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Enterprising Britain is 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.

The 12 projects will compete against each other at the UK final in October. The winner will then represent the UK in the European Enterprise Awards later this year. The full list of this year’s finalists is available at www.enterprisingbritain.org/regionalwinners2008.

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.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .