Success stories
No Limits to Pennine Lancashire, the most enterprising place in England's Northwest
Thursday 25th June
Beating stiff competition from across the region, East Lancashire's No Limits has 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.
Filter by date
