Entrepreneurial Spark awards this evening
Edinburgh based groups finalists in the Autism Professional Awards
Auld Reekie Roller Girls
Tough Mudder
Footloose
The brand new businesses which have been in solved in the Entrepreneurial Spark’s Edinburgh Hatchery are all in the running for awards which could win them a share of £35,000 this evening. The businesses have all been working with The Royal Bank of Scotland and KPMG to help them take their businesses forward from the start-up stage to a scaled up model.
The entrepreneurs have been skilling up in the last six months and now they will pitch their businesses at tonight’s gala evening. There will also be speeches from Entrepreneurial Spark’s team of Enablers, and guest speaker Garry Stewart, CEO and founder of The Chopping Company. Other events are being held tonight too across the whole of the UK with around £250,000 available in cash prizes.
Carl Haagensen, Entrepreneur Development Manager, Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “The Royal Bank of Scotland is delighted to celebrate the efforts of the Chiclets at the Entrepreneuring Awards.
“All have shown a tremendous amount of passion, creativity and commitment to their businesses and this event is an opportunity for everyone involved to take a moment to see how far they have progressed and the difference their hard work has made.
“We wish everyone the greatest success and hope the winners’ stories inspire others to ‘go do’ and make their business dream a reality.”
Phil Charles, Head of Enterprise at KPMG in Scotland, said: “Business incubators such as Entrepreneurial Spark play a pivotal role in supporting start-ups in their first, crucial, stages of growth. The Entrepreneuring Awards give those businesses a taste of competing in a real pitching environment, helping equip them with the skills necessary to secure investment in the future. We wish all the Chiclets taking part at this year’s awards the best of luck.”
Entrepreneurial Spark founder and chief executive Jim Duffy said: “The Entrepreneuring Awards have grown alongside our network of Hatcheries, and the latest round will be the biggest yet. The cash prizes are an excellent way of boosting some of our most promising businesses and accelerating their growth, and the events also provide valuable networking opportunities and pitching practice.
“Entrepreneurs need to be able to explain their business briefly and concisely, and they never know when they might meet a potential investor, client or partner. That’s why we drill our Chiclets to ensure that they are clear on their goals and able to pitch their ideas.”
Entrepreneurial Spark is the world’s largest free accelerator for start-up and scale-up businesses, and competition for the latest intake to its accelerator programmes was intense. To find your nearest Hatchery and register interest for the August 2016 intake, visit www.entrepreneurial-spark.com.
The Yard and Pasda are in the running for awards for ‘innovative family support’ at the National Autistic Society’s Autism Professional Awards 2016.
The Yard is a purpose-built indoor and outdoor adventure playcentre for disabled children and young people, including autism spectrum conditions. It was nominated for the award by a group of parents. Mum, Dora Roden, said: “Children are encouraged to suggest games and activities for the club, and even unusual ideas are carried through. One youngster suggested a jacuzzi night, so a hot tub was hired! The range of activities is amazing – from arts to board games, to outings and baking. Thanks to the club, my son has gained confidence, made friends, had a huge amount of fun. The Yard is a sanctuary for both parents and children.”
Celine Sinclair, chief executive of The Yard said: “We are delighted that our work with autistic children and young people has been nominated for this year’s awards. Our specialist team of playworkers are committed to building relationships with families who use our service, through creating trust, building confidence and ensuring that their children get the support they need to enable them to thrive. We know that what we do makes a real difference and being nominated for this award is truly fantastic because being a small Scottish based charity, we rarely receive national recognition for the important role we play in the lives of all the 2,000 disabled children and young people who use our services.”
Pasda is the only organisation in Edinburgh and the Lothians supporting families of adults on the autism spectrum who often struggle to cope with their caring role. It has been nominated for its ‘Connect’ service which helps isolated carers meet others experiencing the same challenges.
Danuta Szerszynska, a project worker at Pasda, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this award. Our carers face huge daily challenges supporting their autistic family members, and can often feel stressed, isolated and depressed. The flexibility Connect provides is hugely important, enabling carers who may struggle to attend groups and meetings to have that much needed support from someone who truly understands. We have seen amazing results from our Connect Service, with over 75 per cent of carers saying their lives have improved since joining. It’s great that the mutual support carers can gain from talking to each other is being recognised.”
Jenny Paterson, director of the National Autistic Society Scotland, said: “The autism community gets together once a year to recognise services, like The Yard and Pasda, whose work makes a huge difference to the lives of autistic people and their families and carers.
“This year yielded 217 nominations in total, our largest number of nominations yet. It’s heartening to be able to recognise more people and services year on year, as more people are inspired to work in the field of autism and create a better life for those on the autism spectrum.”
The Yard and Pasda are two of nine finalists based in Scotland. There are a total of 38 finalists across the UK in 12 categories. The shortlist was decided by a panel of 11 autism experts, who were looking for innovation, creativity, impact and sustainability.
The winner will be revealed at the National Autistic Society’s Professional Conference on Tuesday 1 March 2016 in Telford.
The Auld Reekie Roller Girls are playing against Dresden Pioneers at Meadowbank on Saturday 30 January 2016. Doors open at 2pm. The match against the German visitors promises to be an exciting beginning to the 2016 roller derby season. If you haven’t been to a match then steady your nerves beforehand. It is exciting, exhilarating and non-stop!
Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 February 2016
EDINBURGH Festival Theatre
Box Office www.edtheatres.com | 0131 529 6000
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