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South Wales Business Awards 2011

South Wales Business Awards 2011!

The Winners Are!!!!

Exclusive coverage of the South Wales Business Awards 2011 can be found in the next issue of Business Rescriptive Magazine on the 29/9/11. Business Rescriptive Magazine is a free online business & lifestyle magazine. To access Business Rescriptive Magazine log on to www.bizrescriptivemag.co.uk

South Wales Business Awards 2011

HI Guys

This week sees our build up to the awards on the 16^th September 2011 continue. Each week we will be highlighting a different category of nominees. Week 7 sees us focusing on the “Female Entrepreneur of the Year”.

The nominees are as follows:

Female Entrepreneur of the Year

Andrea Beardshaw & Georgina Jones – Sing & Inspire

Andrea is a trained opera singer with more than a decade of being one of Wales’ leading vocal coaches. Georgina has more than 20 years of performing experience and a strong commercial background in insurance working as a senior manager. Together they started Sing and Inspire where they train and motivate people in the voice and personal power and set up company choirs. Sing and Inspire currently has contracts with global businesses such as GE Aviation, Admiral Insurance, T Mobile and also Tenovus.

They have a proven track record in people development helping people with soft skills, voice production, business mentorship, presentation skills and inspiring people to achieve their dreams!

Donna Turner-Kot - n-ergy group ltd

I am Donna Turner-Kot, the Managing Director of n-ergy group ltd, who are a South Wales based company which operates mainly throughout South Wales, West of England, the Midlands and the North. Over the last five years since the business was formed, the business has grown from a turnover £857,945 for its first year of trading to £1.6m for 2010. Our growth has been achieved through the development of a business model which uses further education college funding which is given to the colleges by the Skills Funding Agency in England and the Department of Children Lifelong Learning and Skills in Wales.  We approach colleges and negotiate a collaborative arrangement whereby we use college funding to deliver our programmes to offenders in prison and receive a percentage of the funding per learner in return. The business has supported the rehabilitation of ex-offenders, providing job security and positive prospects for all ex-offenders.

Sharon Stephens & Rachel Bryn - Veritas Language Solutions

Veritas Language Solutions is a translation, interpreting and language services provider. We cover all languages with over 5000 translators worldwide. In every aspect of Veritas we endeavour to maintain a culture of honesty, – ‘Veritas’ means ‘truth’ in Latin – quality, and an essential personal touch. Sharon Stephens and Rachel Bryan are the joint Founders and CEOs of the company, and they share a true passion for language and multilingual communication.

Abi Carter – Forensic Resources Ltd

Forensic Scientist, Abi Carter, runs her own successful Cardiff based company offering a range of expert witness services to legal teams and insurance firms throughout the UK. Abi is a qualified forensic archaeologist who is also sub-contracted by a mass disasters emergency services company and can be deployed worldwide on a 24 hour notice period. Abi is on the board of Young Enterprise and a committee member of Women in Management South Wales and the Cardiff University Innovations Network. Abi was awarded with the prestigious position of Honorary Tutor to Cardiff University in 2008 and was business mentor to the two winning teams for the last two Cardiff University i-Solve challenges. Abi also gives entrepreneurial speeches most weeks to schools, colleges and Universities as a Welsh Assembly Government Dynamo Role Model and is very committed to supporting and enhancing the young people of Wales and helping them realise their business potential and encouraging them to run with their inspirational ideas. Abi was awarded ‘Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2010’ at the South Wales Business Awards in October of last year and was shortlisted for the NatWest Everywoman Demeter Award, this award was for an ‘Inspirational Woman in Business’. NatWest Everywoman has published Abi in a book called ‘100 Modern Muses’, the book was launched last year and showcases inspirational women who help to inspire other women in business.

Drew Rogers – Renew Fitness Ltd

Renew Fitness Retreat is one of the UK's leading fitness and detox retreats, offering residential courses improving people's health and wellbeing, attracting clients from all over the UK, Europe, the Middle East and America. Voted "2011's Next Big Things" by Women's Fitness magazine, the company has received various industry accolades since it set up, including Best Female Business Newcomer, Best Start-up Finalist and Shell LiveWIRE Grand Ideas Award amongst others.

South Wales Business Awards 2011

Social Enterprise of the Year

Healing the Wounds Ltd

Healing the Wounds is a registered Armed Forces Charity offering treatment for sufferers of post traumatic stress (PTSD).

The charity is constantly raising much needed funds to provide ongoing help for our veterans and their families and hopes to one day provide a short term residential treatment facility within the South Wales area. 

Healing the Wounds have received tremendous support from our Welsh communities and beyond, who have realized the need to provide a base for our Heroes to receive treatment and recover from what they have had to endure through  the course of doing their duty, during conflicts past and present.

Cycle Training Wales

Cycle Training Wales is a not-for-profit social enterprise that provides a wide range of cycle training and educational activities. During the last year we have trained over 1800 school children in National Standard Cycle skills, run regular bike maintenance courses at a variety of levels, delivered numerous ride leader courses throughout Wales and worked with many different employers to help increase the number of people using a bike to commute to work
 

We have also delivered a large number of community projects in deprived
areas of Cardiff and the Valleys' regions. This year saw CTW set up the Cardiff Cycle Workshop - a bike recycling project and maintenance training facility. In its first year the Workshop has refurbished over 250 bicycles.
CTW's philosophy is firmly based on the 'social enterprise' model - we are run entrepreneurially and seek financial independence and sustainability, yet our objective is the social aim of increased
participation in cycling through education and skills.

Not Just Nuts

Not Just Nuts is an online, ethical, social business that was launched in 2008 by Welsh mental health charity Gofal. Not Just Nuts provides an exciting range of quality organic, fair-trade and local products. Its success lies within the paid and voluntary work placements it provides to users of Gofal’s services, and the positive impact it has upon their lives. Visit the Not Just Nuts website here.

The Mullany Fund

The Mullany Fund is an educational charity that works to address the lack of social mobility within our communities with specific interest in the healthcare professions. In 2010, the OECD reported that the UK has a worse social mobility record than other developed countries. The Going for Growth report found Britain showed the strongest link between an individual’s and their parent’s earnings. Our vision is of a world where no talented, motivated individual is excluded from achieving their dream because of poverty or any other such disadvantage. Working in partnership with local community schools, The Mullany Fund has developed an innovative e-mentoring programme which enables underprivileged individuals to aspire to and achieve meaningful careers.

South Wales Business Awards 2011

HI Guys

This week sees our build up to the awards on the 16^th September 2011 continue. Each week we will be highlighting a different category of nominees. Week 5 sees us focusing on “Retail Business of the Year”

Retail Business of the Year

The nominees are as follows:

BMCdigital Ltd

Established in 2006, BMCdigital provide customers worldwide with high quality electrical and digital accessories.  Having started out selling single PlayStation memory cards via eBay from a spare bedroom, we now stock around 4500 different products in our warehouse! Our lines range from tiny memory cards to headphones, speakers, console accessories (such as controllers, headsets and cases), hands-free car kits and protective and decorative cases for cameras, mobile phones and tablets. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure that we’re first to market with new products, and maintain low, competitive prices.

We take pride in offering our customers top brand goods at affordable prices. Fortunately, we have a team of brilliant people, who give all they can to ensure that each and every order is carefully packed and shipped within minutes of the order being placed, and that every customer receives a personal, friendly service.

The Wales Golf Holiday Company Ltd

The Wales Golf Holiday Company was established as Welsh Golfing Holidays in 1991 and has become the largest tour operator in Wales. We arrange golf holidays for over 5000 golfers each year and work with The Welsh Assembly Government (Visit Wales) to promote Wales as quality golf holiday destination. Our 17 web sites focus on the different regions and types of golf break available, all offering choice and value.

Wonder Stuff Ltd

Wonder Stuff is a multi-award winning gift shop, based in Treorchy, Rhondda.  Trading for over 11 years, we offer a unique range of gifts and cards, with something different for everyone.  Customers can also relax in our Retro tearoom and spoil themselves with a piece of homemade cake, tea or coffee.  At Wonder Stuff, we also love all things Vintage and customers can come along and browse in our furniture showroom and vintage boutique. Visit Wonder Stuff for something Wonderful!!

AVA Boutique Ltd

I’m Angela from AVA Boutique and AVA Dancewear in Mumbles, Swansea.  In addition to ladies shoes and fashion accessories, I am now South West Wales’ premier stockist of dance shoes and dancewear and the only qualified ballet ‘Pointe’ fitter in the region. I am delighted to be short listed for Retailer of the Year in the South Wales Business Awards as AVA is my dream come true and I have major expansion plans across South Wales over the next three years.

Wheelies Direct Cycle Solutions Ltd 

From their base in Swansea, Wheelies Direct Cycle Solutions has over the past 6-years established itself as one of the UK’s leading providers of the UK Government-backed Cycle To Work scheme. The scheme enables employers to offer their staff savings of up to 50% from the cost of bicycles and cycling accessories. Customers of Wheelies Direct Cycle Solutions are able to choose from the UK’s widest selection of bicycles and cycling equipment. The company handles all aspects of the cycle to work scheme on behalf of its clients, from bespoke marketing materials, websites and administration, to delivery of fully assembled bikes to any UK address. The innovative “virtual shop” road shows provided by Wheelies Direct Cycle Solutions help to make the cycle to work scheme accessible to all and successful with employers and employees alike.