The annual quest to find the most successful and inspirational business women in the East Midlands has been launched.

Nominations are invited for the 2016 East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women Awards.

There are seven awards to be won: Business Woman of the Year, Enterprising New Business Woman of the Year, Female Employee of the Year, Team of the Year, Community Champion of the Year, Apprentice of the Year and the prestigious Inspirational Woman of the Year.

The awards, launched yesterday (14 October 2015) celebrate the achievements of women in business, particularly those successfully juggling careers and home life.

Entries have to be in by 8 January 2016 and the winners will be announced at the Chamber’s 2016 Enterprising Women Festival on 4 March.

Jean Mountain, Chair of the Chamber’s Enterprising Women group, said: “There are some very talented and hard-working businesswomen in the East Midlands who make an important contribution to the local economy. All too often, their contribution does not get the recognition it deserves.”

Eileen Richards, her co-Chair, added: “By highlighting their contribution and telling their stories, hopefully we can inspire many other women to pursue their business dream, which is why I would urge as many people as possible to send in nominations for this year’s awards.”

To enter, or make a nomination for the awards, email ew@emc-dnl.co.uk or call 0330 320 0333.

Photograph below shows winners from 2014 East Midlands Chamber Enterprising Women Awards.

Current and new tourism and visitor economy businesses in Derbyshire can now bid for a slice of £350,000 in funding, through the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership.

D2N2 – a private sector-led partnership promoting economic growth across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire – has tourism and the visitor economy as one of the eight key economic sectors for its area.

Businesses and organisations interested in growing the sector can apply for funding help to create a marketing plan for their idea, from £350,000 allocated to D2N2 through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) Growth Programme.

More than a third of the D2N2 area’s 880,000-plus jobs are in rural local authority areas but DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) has identified issues to be tackled; including reduced farming income, lower than average wages and difficulty finding business investment.

Plans which might be funded through EAFRD, depending on their strength, could include those helping rural areas:

• invest in developing and marketing a new large scale tourism activity, to attract visitors;
• provide a service which enables businesses across the D2N2 catchment to target new markets;
• facilitate activities which encourage visitors to increase the length of time they stay in the D2N2 area (according to 2014 figures, an average day visitor to the D2N2 area spent £30, whereas an overnight visitor spent closer to £200).

D2N2 wants to see better links and connectivity between different destinations and attractions, to encourage visitors to extend the length of visits and increase visitor spend.

The EAFRD funding panel is keen to hear how applicants would co-operate with each other in marketing tourism in the rural D2N2 area, and how this would create more jobs and safeguard existing ones.

D2N2 is also keen to increase the business activity of certain types of rural economic activity – including local markets, pubs and micro-breweries – as part of the area’s distinctive visitor ‘offer’.

D2N2 works closely with Visit Peak District and Derbyshire in driving forward growth for the visitor economy sector in its area. Businesses and organisations with ideas on how to improve the tourism offering of any rural area in Nottinghamshire and/or Derbyshire may wish to contact the tourism organisation to find out if there is an opportunity to collaborate with other organisations on a plan.

Up to ten projects in the D2N2 area will be funded from its £350,000. Individual grants will range from £35,000 to £140,000 and can cover up to half a project’s total costs, meaning a project must have a minimum total value of at least £70,000 to be eligible for funding through the EAFRD money.

Applications to the D2N2 EAFRD fund – which must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, January 8 (2016) – will be assessed by the Government and the D2N2 LEP. Those with the strongest business case will then be asked to make a further, full application for project funding.

David Ralph, Chief Executive of the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, said:  “Both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire already receive tens of thousands of visitors each year, bringing millions of pounds into their local economy. There is capacity there for further growth, through the development of quality tourism attractions or interesting areas.

“This EAFRD funding is an excellent opportunity for tourism businesses, or those wishing to set one up, to get the help needed to create a detailed business and marketing plan for their ideas.”

For more information on how the D2N2 LEP is using European funding to boost the economy and jobs numbers in its areas see website www.d2n2lep.org/EUFunding

Local politicians and business leaders have today secured an in-principle deal with the Chancellor George Osborne to transfer national powers and control over funding from national Government departments to the Sheffield City Region – as well as securing a massive £900 million additional cash boost over the next thirty years to deliver major regeneration, infrastructure and business growth schemes.

The proposed deal, which concludes a month of detailed negotiations between the City Region and Government, will need to be formally approved by each of the local councils within the Sheffield City Region (which includes Chesterfield) and is subject to a programme of consultation and engagement with residents and businesses over the coming months.  The deal will also be dependent upon the Government delivering on the promises it has made in this and previous deals, and the City Region agreeing to the creation of a directly-elected Mayor.

Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton, Chair of the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority, said: “This proposal marks the next step on our devolution journey and will enable local leaders to make bigger and better local decisions over skills, business growth and infrastructure. Over the coming months we will be speaking to local residents, businesses and partners about what this means for economic growth in their City Region.”

James Newman, Chairman of the Sheffield City Region LEP, said: “This deal will enable local leaders to accelerate delivery of the jobs and new businesses that our local economy needs to grow. This positions Sheffield City Region at the front of the Northern Powerhouse pack and strengthens our position as a world class centre for modern manufacturing and engineering technology.

Chancellor George Osborne said:  “Manchester is not a one-off – far from it. In becoming the second great northern region to sign up to managing its own affairs with this ambitious agreement, Sheffield City Region is playing a vital part in helping to build the Northern Powerhouse.”