Telford International Centre was buzzing with the sound of business last week as the StartUp Britain bus arrived in the town.
The arrival of the bus marked the Shropshire launch of an ‘entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs’ campaign to help develop and nurture the UK’s up and coming businesses.
Key figures from Shropshire’s business community, as well as budding entrepreneurs, StartUp local champions and members of the StartUp Britain founding team, were on board the bus to share experiences, give and receive advice and guidance, and join forces with other like-minded individuals.
Fay Easton, StartUp Shropshire’s Local Ambassador, commented: “On behalf of the StartUp Shropshire team, I just want to say a huge thank you to StartUp Britain for arranging that one of the 14 national destinations would be Telford – this is after all, the true birthplace of industry.”
At the StartUp Shropshire event were budding local business people including Sarah Howe, who has recently launched a business selling collagen drinks, and Peta Green who, with her husband, has launched a hand-painted furniture business. Jacinta Ingham, a new young entrepreneur is launching a company called Whinberry Antler in Shropshire; Jacinta won a state of the art laptop computer in recognition of her innovative start-up business, which specialises in fabric design, re-upholstery and home furnishings.
Fay Easton added: “We hosted this aspirational ‘start up event’ on the day that the International Monetary Fund announced that the UK’s growth plans had been downgraded. Across the UK new businesses are being formed, and every day I meet truly inspirational individuals who have fantastic business ideas and who are working hard to put those ideas into practice. All these individuals need is the support and guidance to help them start, become successful and to really thrive – and these new starts will make a real and positive difference to the UK economy.
“The StartUp Shropshire campaign will help young new start-ups in our county and the StartUp Britain campaign is rolling this help out across the country. On behalf of the whole team, I’d like to thank everyone who volunteered their time and effort to help make this StartUp Shropshire event such a success. Without the belief and passion of the local business community, events like this wouldn’t be possible and talented young people from across Shropshire would not be given the opportunities they need to shine.”
