Trinity and All Saints College in Horsforth played host to the West North West area finals of Strictly Come Business on Friday 15 May 2009.
Six entrepreneurs were given the chance to ‘tout’ their business idea to a panel of judges, and an audience, before being ‘grilled’ by the expert panel made up of local business people, including WNWhL board member John Sharples.
The event was the culmination of a project managed by Places for People, and sponsored by a number of housing organisations including WNWhL. Over the past four months a number of local events have taken place in community centres on estates throughout the West North West area of Leeds.
At these events social housing residents with a business idea have been offered invaluable advice and support by Places for People and partnering organisations.
Six bright and innovative ideas were selected and put forward to the competition element of the project. The residents were given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to the judges on Friday.
Adam Bowman’s Idea is an Organic Horticulture enterprise which would ultimately involve employing vulnerable young people with learning difficulties, while Bukka Di Santos has set up Media57, a public relations and media company, and wishes to expand her business.
Doreen & Shirley Thompson will be working from home producing greetings cards, ornamental decorated eggs, and cakes (the whole family turned up to support and distributed samples of the cakes throughout the audience and judges.
Beverley Bonnet’s idea is a mobile tanning business, which would attend people homes for parties offering beauty treatments and tanning.
Kelly Newton wants to set up in business as a Hypnotherapist, to help people overcome addictions and phobias (amongst other things), but Kelly wants to concentrate on lower income families as opposed to the high end market.
Finally Anna Steel wanted to take Yoga and Meditation into schools as a way of helping to teach children to control their behaviour.
The judges gave the contestants a grilling, but also offered them valuable advice, but it was not only the judges that had their say on the night. The audience also had to vote on each of the contestants, and after a nervous wait, the winners were announced as Bukka Santos, and Doreen and Shirley Thompson, who will both represent West North West Leeds area in the grand final to be held in June.
There were no losers on the night as all of the contestants will, over the coming months, receive further advice and assistance to take their business ideas forward.
Kevin Bradbury, policy and marketing manager for WNWhL said “Thanks must go to the area panels for their support in funding this excellent project, which really will help to make a difference to our customers and our communities. Hundreds of people have been engaged with, and given invaluable expert advice and assistance over the past months. Places for People, have taken that advice to the heart of our communities and met people on their own doorsteps which is imperative for some of our more hard to reach customers.”