If We Can, You Can

Rural Challenge Finalists announced

The time has arrived for us to announce our If we can, you can Rural Challenge finalists! This is the first year we’ve run this part of the Challenge and we’ve been superbly supported by the Country Land and Business Association, who have made it their mission to help us spread the word about the entrepreneurial talent in rural North East England.

Below is some information on our finalists – they are now looking forward to our Pick Our Brains Opportunity panel taking place next week, with high calibre entrepreneurs Keith Miller, Tony Trapp, Ali McLean and Angus Collingwood Cameron of the CLA offering advice and guidance based on their years of entrepreneurial experience. From this our new Face of Rural Entrepreneurship and Ambassador for Rural Entrepreneurship will be announced so watch this space for all the latest news.

Justin Souter took voluntary redundancy from a major corporate just before the recession took hold. A friend suggested he start a business so he could sub-contract to other people, but he realised he could fulfil some long-held ambitions by setting up Souter Consulting Limited. SCL helps customers create ‘digital nervous systems’ which allow information to flow around their organisations, with leading edge thinking and tools to create competitive advantage.

James Brown worked as a land agent since leaving college, but now feels that it is time to branch out on his own using his experience and contacts to create a new successful business, which involve some ambitious future plans.

A serial entrepreneur from school age, Maddy Stuckey runs organic beauty company Natural Empathy with her mum. Natural Empathy products provide nature’s way to beauty with gorgeous organic essential oil fragrances and locally grown ingredients. Plans are afoot to sell the spa range across the country and eventually showcased on a global stage.

Jimmy Bell comes from a farming family that has farmed in Northumberland for over 400 years. In 1992 he and his wife bought East Wingates Farm and over the years he has come up with many intuitive ideas to expand his market and showcase new products.

James Cookson owns Meldon Park, a traditional rural estate based in Northumberland just West of Morpeth. The estate boasts new enterprises including the Kitchen Garden, a walled garden which now houses a café and shop. James is also starting new rural enterprises aimed at different markets to strengthen the rural economy.

Having worked as a civil servant for many years and progressed to working for a registered charity helping people from disadvantaged background, Ian Nelson decided it was time to put one of the many ideas he came up with into action and start his own business. Whilst playing golf he came up with the idea of a product that would remove the inconvenience of raking through bags for golf balls, tees and other essential accessories. The T Caddy was born.

AWARD-WINNING NORTH EAST BUSINESS WOMAN SUPPORTS BREAST CANCER

A North East icon is celebrating her 40 years in business by organising a charity fashion show supporting breast cancer research.

Over the past four decades Sadie the Bra Lady has been fulfilling the region’s underwear needs at her North East stores, as well as helping hundreds of cancer sufferers get the support they need from their bras with her specialist mastectomy bra fittings service.

Now the award-winning businesswoman is offering a new kind of support, with a fundraising fashion show at the Rainton Meadows Arena, Houghton-Le-Spring in aid of Breast Cancer research.

All the models for the show, which is being held on October 21, 2010, are being recruited from cancer groups across the region and will include female sufferers and survivors the disease.

They will be strutting their stuff in fashions provided by retailers from across the North East, with Sadie herself providing the underwear.

As a regular supporter of breast cancer research, Sadie donates a portion of the fees she receives from public speaking to various charities supporting the cause. She also personally trains her staff to fit women correctly and ensure they buy the right bra for them, whatever their requirements.

“I hope the fashion show will help raise awareness about women facing cancer, and give hope to those suffering by mixing with survivors,” said Sadie.

“By using models from cancer support groups across the North East we hope it will give visitors the chance to see the kind of people their money could be helping and what a difference their donations can make.”

Tickets for the show cost £10 each. For anyone wanting to attend, for more information, tickets or enquiries about modelling please contact Sorted PR on 0191 265 6111.

Further information about Sadie is available at www.sadiethebralady.com

Amazing results for Tyneside radio company

A North East radio station which champions upcoming musical talent has unveiled plans for expansion having secured £800,000 of new investment since the turn of the year.

Following rapid growth in 2010, the Amazing Media Group (AMG), based in Gateshead, is now launching several new services, opening a London office and will soon launch Amazing Radio Brazil.

The organisation, which currently employs 31 people, moved to Gateshead in December 2009, broadcasting Amazing Radio, the first national radio station ever based outside London.
The station now transmits nationally on DAB digital radio across the UK and online for the world and is said to be the world’s first radio station playing 100% new music from unsigned and emerging artists.

Paul Campbell, founder of AMG, said: “The business has gone mad since we moved to Gateshead. Audiences to the radio station are growing at a rate of knots, we’re hitting record numbers on amazingtunes.com both for downloads and new tunes being uploaded, and the viral activity on Twitter and Facebook shows people are really paying attention – and liking what they hear.

“This substantial growth and job creation would have been much more difficult without the funding and backing we received from One North East, which helped us purchase vital broadcasting equipment, computers and to make changes to our new building. It was perfectly-timed, and handled with consummate professionalism by the team at Stella House.”

Based in Amazing Towers, the former home of Century FM, AMG recently launched The Amazing Chart - the world’s first 100% unsigned chart, which music industry bible Music Week plans to publish online every week.

The company has said its next step is to launch Amazing Records later in the year and to sign selected new artists with “exceptional potential.”

Story courtesy of www.bdaily.info