30.03.07
Flying Start for entrepreneurs

Some of Devon and Cornwall’s up and coming entrepreneurs brought their ideas and inspirations to a motivational event held at Eden recently, organised by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NGCE). The NGCE Flying Start Rally was sponsored by the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) with support from Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) and The University of Plymouth.

Nearly one hundred students and recent graduates discovered how to turn their business ideas into reality with advice and insights from successful entrepreneurs and interactive workshops, delivered by experts in areas such as franchising, patenting, finance and networking.

The event was an opportunity for the region’s entrepreneurs to meet like-minded people, make contacts in the business community and be inspired to take the step into starting their business or expanding a concept. As Catriona Bell, Business Development Officer for Combined Universities in Cornwall explains, “With the increased number of students and graduates now in the region, there is a wealth of knowledge and ideas that can really stimulate the economy. Events such as these are extremely important as they enable that potential to be realised.”

Dr Jo Readman, Eden’s Director of Learning, welcomed the delegates before handing over to a panel of entrepreneurial specialists for a question and answer session. The panel included Stafford Sumner, Managing Director of ‘Jarrang’, a leading email marketing agency, Nick Palfrey who started his first company when he was sixteen, successful local designer Jethro Macey, Dr Lorna Collins of NGCE who has been working with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial students for many years and Natalie Campbell who is the Student Enterprise Campaigner for NGCE.

Sharon Bishop, a student currently in her final year of a Contemporary Arts degree at University College Falmouth was very glad that she attended the event commenting, “I am keen start up my own business when I graduate but coming out of a student environment, it can all seem quite daunting. The event really put my mind at rest. I found it so helpful to talk to people who had started their own businesses successfully and to find out about the organisations who are out there offering advice and support to people like me. More than anything, it reinforced the idea that anything is possible – it’s just the encouragement I needed.”

For further information contact Emma Stallard, Combined Universities in Cornwall PR and Communications Officer, on 01326 370446 or email emma.stallard@cuc.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Editor's notes:

The Combined Universities in Cornwall is a dynamic and visionary partnership that is one of the driving forces behind Cornwall’s economic renaissance. This partnership combines the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, University College Falmouth, The Open University, The College of St Mark & St John, and the Peninsula Medical School, with Cornwall’s Further Education colleges - Cornwall College, Truro College and Penwith College. It aims not only to provide the students of the future with more choice and greater opportunities, but also to boost the economic fortunes of the region for the benefit of one and all.

The CUC initiative has been invested in by the Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the South West Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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