News, Grants and Awards for WoMenta members

News Update: Queen's Award

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise are considered the UK's most prestigious awards for business performance. They recognise and reward outstanding achievement by UK companies.

The Awards are presented in three separate categories:

International Trade - recognising companies that have demonstrated growth in overseas earnings.
Innovation - recognising companies that have demonstrated commercial success through innovative products or services.
Sustainable Development - recognising companies that have integrated environmental, social, economic and management aspects of sustainable development into their business.

The Awards are made each year by The Queen, on the advice of the Prime Minister, who is assisted by an Advisory Committee that includes representatives of Government, industry and commerce, and the trade unions.

All organisations – large, medium or small – which operate regularly as a ‘business unit’ in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man and which can meet the criteria, are eligible to apply.

Unlike personal Honours, these Awards are given to a business unit as a whole. Applications are not accepted from individuals, but sole proprietorships with at least two full time employees are eligible. Applications are accepted from ‘divisions’ withi n organisations if they have sufficient separate identity.

All entries into the competition must be received by 2pm on 30 October.

For more info: www.queensawards.org.uk/

‘Mary Queen of Shops’ wants YOU!

BBC2 is making a new series of ‘Mary Queen of Shops’ – and offering a unique and invaluable opportunity to independent businesses in towns like YOURS!

Due to the huge success of earlier series, they are now making a third.

And – having worked previously with fashion retail independents – Mary is now focusing upon the non-fashion independent retail sector.

Britain’s leading retail guru, Mary Portas turned Harvey Nichols into a modern powerhouse of fashion and style and she has a phenomenal talent for unlocking the potential of businesses – both large and small.

She has had much success with fashion retailers. But the current economic climate means it’s tough for the entire independent sector. So Mary wants to take on a very different challenge: to bring her Midas touch to 6 non-fashion British high street independent stores.

These might include a:

Bakery
Hair Salon
Greengrocer
Convenience Store/Newsagent
Chemist
Home or Hardware Store

But Mary is keen to consider any type of independent retailer.

It is extremely difficult running a small business and with the current economic climate as an additional factor, it is no wonder that up to 100 shops a day are closing in Britain. But, through expert advice, sharing the tricks of the trade, and devising a solution specific to each shop, Mary can try to get stores on the road to success. It’s a very special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Is there an independent shop or shops in YOUR town which is getting left behind or struggling and would like some help from Britain’s leading retail expert? Contact the BBC2 team direct to find out more. They would love to hear from you.

Please call Tom or Nikki on 020 7967 1285

Or email queenofshops@optomen.com

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Car Share Scheme

Car sharers who share their commute to work regularly have saved on average £1000 a year, a great bonus in these difficult economic times. Other benefits can include:

Reduced parking costs
Improving personal safety since you don't have to travel alone or return alone to your car at night.
Car sharing is good for the planet: it reduces the number of cars on the road thus reducing Suffolk's carbon footprint.
Reducing congestion in our towns and improves air quality
People living in rural areas with limited access to a car, or public or community transport can benefit from car sharing too. You may not need to learn to drive or bear the costs of running your own vehicle.
The opportunity to meet new people and form new friendships.

This countywide scheme is run by Suffolk ACRE in partnership with Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and allows anyone within Suffolk to search for potential travel companions either as a driver or passenger. SuffolkCarShare.com is working in association with Suffolk Creating the Greenest County to encourage everyone to live and work in ways that uses less energy, but allowing us to do more exciting things.

In its first two years, almost 1500 people have signed up to SuffolkCarShare.com and we have a similar number of journeys registered where people are seeking potential sharers. Since the launch it is estimated that SuffolkCarShare.com users have saved nearly a million miles, 201 tonnes of CO2 which is the equivalent of 67,000 trees and £66,000 through car sharing. Not bad considering that the service is completely free to join! With the recent massive increases in fuel prices it's more beneficial than ever to think about how to manage travel costs.

If you are interested in sharing a car or would like to find out a little more then check out www.SuffolkCarShare.com. Registration is completely free and all you need to provide is a valid e-mail address and register the journey you would be interested in sharing either as a driver or passenger. No personal information is released to another user if your journey is matched and there is no obligation to accept a match as all sharing arrangements are done voluntarily. Those wishing to share journeys discuss and agree between themselves how to share the cost of a journey which could include splitting the cost of the fuel used or paying a small set fee per mile travelled.

Businesses large and small across Suffolk are being encouraged to promote car sharing to their staff. Private groups can be set up for larger employers, allowing direct monitoring of their scheme and enabling a cost saving analysis that could be compared to the expense of providing car parking. Other tangible benefits include helping employees save money, increased networking and socialisation amongst staff and meeting targets set out in a Green Travel Plan. Employees in a private group are still able to be part of the main countywide scheme to maximise their chances of finding a match for their journey.

For more information go to www.SuffolkCarShare.com This website includes a cost calculator to help drivers find out what they could save by sharing their car.