2008 Enterprising Britain awards – Winner of the Scottish competition

Date of award: May 2008

Our fourth award, which gained us national exposure, was the Scottish winner if the Enterprising Britain 2008 competition.

This was announced at a lunch at Norton House Hotel on 29 May, and from a field covering regeneration, enterprise and social economy entries from across Scotland, we won a prize of £5000, and go forward to compete with the winners from 9 English RDA areas plus Wales and Ireland.

This involves further work, a judging visit and attendance at a seminar and national awards in Nottingham in early October, where the prize is bigger, and the winning entry will then go forward to represent Britain in a European competition.

Quote from Press Release:

“Heart of Hawick was chosen as the winner as it demonstrates how regeneration of an area can have direct, tangible economic impact for the local area and Scotland as a whole. 
“Scotland has a rich heritage in enterprise.  Our finalists have shown what a diverse and exciting range of projects are being created the length and breadth of the country.  I wish each project well for the future, and congratulate Heart of Hawick on a well deserved win."

Tower Mill itself now contains an 111 seat auditorium which can be used as a cinema, theatre and conference centre, as well as a Beanscene coffee and music house, which had the company’s most successful launch ever attracting over 5,000 people in its first week.  

The facility also includes 10 rentable workspaces and exhibition space for creative industries plus meeting rooms for hire and the area’s Tourist Information centre is now able to open all year round.  In addition to its current achievements, Heart of Hawick also has clear plans for the future development of the town.

Further Information:
http://www.enterprisingbritain.org/regionalwinners2008
http://www.enterprisingbritain.org/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/7437945.stm
ttp://www.ukbi.co.uk/index.asp?PID=746