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Scarborough is the most enterprising place in Europe!
14 May 2009
Yes it’s official; Scarborough is the most enterprising place in
Europe and has a major award to prove it! At an awards ceremony
held in Prague on the evening of Wednesday 13 May, Scarborough won
the Grand Jury prize in the prestigious European Enterprise Awards,
which was awarded to the most creative and inspiring
entrepreneurship initiative in the whole of Europe.
Scarborough, as the sole representative for the UK, was one of
13 entrants in the running for the Grand Jury prize out of an
original 350 projects from across Europe who submitted entries for
the competition.
The
European Enterprise Awards, run by the European Commission
Enterprise and Industry Directorate, aim to recognise those places
of enterprise excellence across Europe that have helped to
transform the social and economic fortunes of their area and are
the best at improving economic prospects and encouraging enterprise
in their countries.
Nick Taylor, Urban Renaissance Manager said:
“Well done Scarborough, what an achievement! It is a culmination
of all the hard work that has been done over the past few years in
transforming the town and is a real testament to the splendid
efforts of a whole range of committed and passionate people from
across the community. Scarborough has earned its place on the
European map and we are now looking forward to capitalising on this
prestigious accolade.”
David Archer, Scarborough Borough Council’s Strategic Director
added:
“Winning this top award is an absolutely amazing achievement for
the town. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our
partners who have been involved in the awards submissions and in
the renaissance of Scarborough in the past few years. It is that
real sense of community partnership working that has been vital to
our success; long may it continue and flourish.”
The Scarborough Renaissance Partnership submitted an entry for
the awards in November 2008, after Scarborough was crowned the most
enterprising place in Britain last year in the Department for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s (BERR) successful
Enterprising Britain competition, which celebrates and rewards the
most enterprising places in the UK. The entry was based on how
renaissance and the community have transformed the fortunes of
Scarborough over the past few years through their enterprising
approach. The Scarborough Renaissance Partnership comprises of
Scarborough Borough Council, local stakeholders, businesses,
representatives from the local community and Yorkshire Forward.
Harry Rich, Chief Executive of Mark Your Mark, which runs the
Enterprising Britain competition, said of Scarborough’s continued
success:
“What has been achieved in Scarborough can easily translate to
other places across the UK and Europe – it’s a great role model for
what embedding a culture of enterprise can achieve. Enterprise is
what will get us through the economic downturn and it is important
that we have platforms such as the Enterprising Britain competition
and the European Enterprise Awards, which enable inspirational
success stories to be shared. I’ve visited Scarborough and seen
firsthand how vibrant and dynamic the enterprise culture there is.
The town thoroughly deserves this title and I look forward to
seeing them reap the benefits it will bring.”
Caroline Flint MP, Minister for Europe added:
“This is a great result for Scarborough, and well deserved
recognition for the work that Scarborough Renaissance Partnership
has done in promoting entrepreneurship and regeneration. Entering
these awards is not only a good way for UK participants to
benchmark themselves against their peers, it is a great opportunity
to share ideas and learn from the best examples across Europe, and
I hope there will be many more UK entrants in future.”
The European Enterprise Awards formed part of a major European
conference “The Small Business Act for Europe: business without
barriers” which was organised by the European Commission and was
part of the very first European SME (Small and Medium sized
Enterprises) Week. The Scarborough team is hosting a stand at the
conference, has delivered a presentation based on enterprising best
practice and has taken the opportunity to promote the town to the
rest of Europe.