Winner of the Enterprising Britain competition, North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone (NSRZ) and Enterprising Britain runner–up, The Paper Trail, are celebrating again today following the European Enterprise Awards.
NSRZ was crowned the runner-up in the Enterprise Support category, while The Paper Trail was announced as the runner-up in the Responsible Entrepreneurship category at the awards ceremony, which took place in
Portugal. The projects beat off competition from over 350 entrants across
Europe.
Welcoming the news, Stephen Timms, Enterprise Minister, said:
“North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone and The Paper Trail are fantastic examples of British enterprise and thoroughly deserves this recognition. By adopting a positive “can do” approach to local enterprise and regeneration, both initiatives have helped to transform the social and economic prospects of their areas. I congratulate the teams behind the projects wholeheartedly.”
North Staffordshire Regeneration Zone, which covers the urban core of Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-Under-Lyme, was recognised for successfully transforming one of the most deprived areas in
Britain into an economic hub of enterprise activity.
Following a massive decline in their traditional industries, North Staffordshire was branded by Barclays in 2003 as the ‘worst place in
England to start a business’. Since then, the various projects set-up by NSRZ have helped to reverse the decline by encouraging and supporting over 500 new start-up businesses and helping to create more than 1,000 new jobs.
NSRZ has created 21 sustainable social enterprises in
North Staffordshire schools, giving over 7,500 young people the opportunity to run a real business. One example of a school-based business is The Mitchell Juice bar, an enterprise that was set up in
Mitchell
High School with a £12,000 funding grant from NSRZ. The students run all aspects of the business and all profits are ploughed back into the enterprise.
The Paper Trail, a unique enterprise initiative that has converted a Victorian paper mill and disused industrial buildings into a self-financing centre for education and innovation, was recognised for bringing social and economic success to the local community.
The Paper Trail offers a wide range of income generating activities, including recycled paper making, conference facilities, schools’ enterprise projects and training courses. Since it was first established in 2002, the initiative has housed over 26 start-up and small businesses, created at least 300 indirect employment opportunities and helped local recycled paper production to increase by 65 per cent.
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