Britain’s Energy Coast lands ‘Future of Enterprise Support’ Award
Britain’s Energy Coast lands ‘Future of Enterprise Support’ Award
Despite a 73 per cent increase in applications to the awards this year, the extensive business support service provided by BEC stood out to the judging panel, which included senior officials from the Department for Business, Innovation Skills (BIS).
The Future of Enterprise Support award recognises organisations that have adapted to a changing marketplace, continuing to innovate to make activities successful. Judges were impressed with BEC’s innovative approach to dealing with local economic challenges, through the publication of the West Cumbria Economic Blueprint – a strategy that sets out a 15 year vision for development in the area through a programme of actions designed to help to accelerate business innovation and support an enterprise culture.
To achieve the Blueprint vision, Britain’s Energy Coast provides an extensive business support service which has helped to create hundreds of jobs, from Linkstart to help entrepreneurs to start their businesses, to the Innovus programme to help turn technical ideas into commercial reality, through to the Energy Opportunities Supply Chain project to help companies win business in the energy sector. A corporate finance service is also offered to provide access to a range of grants and finance options. All services can be accessed free of charge throughout Allerdale and Copeland and to those firms looking to invest in the area. For more information visit www.britainsenergycoast.co.uk/business-support---projects.html
Steven Szostak, Chief Executive of Britain’s Energy Coast, said “National awards that recognise excellence are always welcome. They validate the work that is carried out and I am delighted that the BEC team has been given due recognition for all we have achieved. We have helped many successful companies in West Cumbria from day one and it is extremely rewarding for BEC to watch them grow and thrive. It is fantastic for an organisation of NEN’s stature, with hundreds of members around the UK, to reward us for what we are doing.”
The NEN is a membership body for organisations committed to the support and development of enterprise. Their awards were established in 2007 to recognise excellence in the delivery of enterprise support, encouraging the exchange of good practice and the development of improved services and organisations.
Dawn Whiteley, National Enterprise Network CEO, said “We know that the enterprise support organisations that make up the National Enterprise Network work hard to support their local start up clients and established businesses and we are pleased to be able to recognise their efforts on a national scale through our dedicated awards programme”.
The award was presented by Rekha Mehr, BIS Entrepreneur in Residence at the British Library in London last Friday (15 November). The highly esteemed judging team included Paul McEldon, the NEN Chairman and Amanda Hurford, Assistant Director, Enterprise Directorate at BIS.
Paul McEldon, National Enterprise Network Chairman, commenting on the awards, said, “I am proud to have been able to recognise such outstanding achievements from National Enterprise Network members in this year’s NEN Awards. The impact of these organisations is clear to see for the successful projects and initiatives that have taken place over the last year.”
