Cornwall’s smartest young entrepreneurs, green conscience companies and brightest new businesses were recognised at the Hub Awards last night (Thursday November 24th) at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay.

The Hub Awards, which has been revamped by LESW since 2008, once again rewarded those business people making a real difference in Cornwall and celebrated the work of companies which have quickly made their mark in the county.

More than 110 guests attended the awards which were sponsored by YTKO, Oxford Innovation and Tremough Innovation Centre.

Jill Stein, the woman behind the internationally renowned brand, The Seafood Restaurant, gave the keynote speech at the ceremony. Jill shared her experiences of running the hugely successful Seafood Restaurant in Padstow during what was one of her first public speaking appointments

A panel of judges from across Cornwall’s business community came together to interview shortlisted candidates and later select the winners for each category.

Scooping the title of Employee of the Year was 26 year-old Becky Palmer. The judges were impressed by Becky’s beyond the call of duty approach as an employee for Hayle-based, Sapience HR. As Office Manager, Becky is often required to be the first point of contact for clients, but Becky went much further and in a little over 12 months introduced and implemented new systems and procedures and overhauled the company’s marketing strategy that enabled the business to provide valuable  new services to their rapidly expanding client base.

This year’s Green Business of the Year award was handed to Redruth-based Piran Technologies. The judges commented upon how successful Piran Technologies had been at challenging the traditional accepted thinking of energy efficiency within the IT facilities sector both within, and most significantly outside of, their company.

27-year old Dan Parker scooped the award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Since setting up SMS marketing company, FireText, in September 2010, the business has in a short period of time grown considerably and won a number of significant contracts. Judges commented on how infectious Dan’s enthusiasm and passion was for doing business and how he would be firm member of Cornwall’s business community well into the future.

The Best Business Start Up award was won by Blackwater-based Cornwall Solar Panels. The judges were impressed at how quickly the founder, Tony Sampson, had been able to establish the company in the county having only set it up in November 2010. The business now employees ten people across two companies and is taking on an Unlocking Cornish Potential in January.

A special Hub Contributor of the Year Award was given to Anna Penrose from Mail Away. Anna was not only recognised as being a regular Hub attendee over the past year but for also playing her part in helping welcome new members.

As part of the event, guests also watched a video about doing business in the county and what the future holds for Cornwall. The short film, which features an array of Cornish business people, was produced by The Motion Farm. 

Visit www.cornwallhub.co.uk for more information.

The LESW Charity Skydive Challenge 2011 kicked off on the 21^st of September, four out of the eight brave participants managed to complete the 10,000ft tandem Skydive. Raising £3100 for the Cornwall Community Foundation, Due to strong winds the reaming four will complete the challenge on the morning of 14^th October. Extra donations are expected to come in and total around £3500.

 If you want to know more or sponsor the volunteers then please visit our dedicated challenge webpage.

The LESW Charity Skydive Challenge, now in its 2^nd year, is shaping up to be another great Corporate Social Responsibility event supporting our local community.

LESW have pulled together 9 brave volunteers to take the daring 10,000 ft tandem skydive on behalf of 3 great charities here in Cornwall on Wednesday 21^st September 2011. All volunteers are employees from the local business community and their individual profiles can been seen on the dedicated challenge webpage.

The Team hope to raise around £3000 for our chosen charities and this year sees Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) being selected. CCF and LESW have further chosen to distribute a large proportion to help two specific projects; the Cornwall Befriending Scheme, which supports young carers who care for parents with long term illnesses or disabilities, and Carefree Fostering Independence Cornwall which is a voluntary organisation helping young people in care to provide them with vital support and a range of activities.

On the day a spectator area with light entertainment and catering facilities will be available so family, friends, colleagues and anyone who is keen to support can see the brave team in action, along with the chance to meet the charities and the great people behind them!

Please do take the time to visit the LESW Charity Skydive Challenge 2011 website for more information, to meet the team and if you’re feeling generous to make a donation.

Thank you

The first Cornwall Home Show, which took place on 31 April and 1 May at Kingsley Village, attracted more than 1,000 people who visited the show to meet with specialist home and garden design businesses from across the county.

The event, which was organised and managed by Live Events South West,  showcased almost 40 of Cornwall’s very best home interior and garden design experts as well as environmental and sustainable living businesses, all under one roof for just two days. 

This, the first and only dedicate Home Show in Cornwall, included exhibitors from right across the county.  Visitors were able to browse around the exhibition and meet the experts, get questions answered by the right people, take advantage of special show offers and also attend a range of free seminars which ran throughout the day over both days. These covered interior design inspirations, integrating renewable energy into the home, building your own eco home and design features for the garden.

Visitors were spoilt for choice with specialists from kitchens, bespoke furniture, interior design, soft furnishings, spas and swimming pools, bedrooms, bathrooms and renewable energy businesses all in attendance.

Andrew Weaver, Owner of Live Events South West says, “This show has been developed over the past two years and I am thrilled with how well everything went.  All of our exhibitors reported strong leads from visitors to the show and I am delighted so many people came along over the two days.

Ali Hodges of Source Energy Ltd exhibited at the show she said, “It was an excellent show.  We received more quality leads from this two day event than any other events in Cornwall in the last year.”

Andrew continued “As this event proved so successful I am already planning future events and can confirm that the Cornwall Home Show will become a regular fixture in Cornwall’s event calendar. Both the public and businesses benefited greatly from attending the show so I will be announcing plans for the next show soon.”

Pictures from the show and details for future events will be shortly uploaded to www.cornwallhomeshow.co.uk

Those interested in exhibiting at next year’s show should contact LESW via the Cornwall Home Show website.

The Cornwall Home Show takes place on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May at Kingsley Village at Fraddon.

Proudly supported by Cornwall Today, The Cornwall Home Show 2011 will bring together almost 40 of Cornwall’s very best home and garden design experts as well as environmental and sustainable living businesses, all under one roof for two days. 

The event, which is organised and managed by Live Events South West,  will showcase the very best in independent specialists from across Cornwall and offer people the chance to find everything they need for the home and garden, all in one place.

This, the first and only dedicate Home Show in Cornwall, will include exhibitors from right across Cornwall.  Visitors will be able to walk around the exhibition hall and get inspiration from a number of exhibitors showcasing their products and services.  People can expect to find specialists in kitchens, furniture, home decor and furnishings, home technology, bedrooms, bathrooms and renewable energy at the two day event. 

Entry to the show is £3 per person per day and tickets can be purchased on the door. Throughout the event exhibitors will be running special offers and promotions, making it the best place to find ideal home solutions, meet the experts, see products and services first hand and get a great deal on any purchases.

Visitors to the show will also be able to attend any of the free seminars which will be taking place during the two days. The seminars will cover a range of areas of interest, including, integrating renewable energy in the home, home cinematic and home networks solutions and interior design hints and tips from some of the show’s fantastic exhibitors.

This is the first time that an event like this has been planned for Cornwall and organisers hope that it will become an annual spring event that grows year on year, becoming a regular fixture in Cornwall’s events calendar. 

With so many high quality independent, specialist home suppliers based in the county The Cornwall Home Show looks set to offer something very special to visitors and exhibitors alike. From traditional and rustic products, through to the very latest ideas in contemporary and sustainable living, this two day event is one not to be missed.

Full details of the event can be found on the Cornwall Home Show website: www.cornwallhomeshow.co.uk or by calling Live Events South West on 01872 888733.

More than 110 guests from across Cornwall’s business community came together on November 25 at the Atlantic Hotel in Newquay to hear the winners of the 2010 Hub Awards announced.

Now in the sixth year, this year’s awards were sponsored by YTKO, Oxford Innovation and Business Link. The awards aim to celebrate the individual efforts of those young entrepreneurs, employees and businesses making a real difference in the Cornish business community.

Scooping the top title in the Employee of the Year category was Laura Bower from Treasure Trails. Judges praised Laura for making a significant impact on the business and truly establishing herself as a vital member of the team.

Thomas Hazzledine, better known as Baker Tom, won the award for Entrepreneur of the Year. In the category, which applicants had to be under 30, judges rewarded Thomas for his passion for the product and his strong desire to grow the business without sacrificing quality.

The award for Best Business Start Up went to 3 White Hats. Judges praised founder, Tom Telford, for his creativity and desire to drive the business forward through some difficult stages early on. The judges were impressed by the sharp rise in turnover and Tom's work with leading brands including Mars and itunes.

New for this year, the Green Business of the Year 2010 category was awarded to Leap Media. Judges praised the company for going above and beyond the usual green ethos adopted by a business and for making radical changes to reduce their impact on the environment.

Finally, Sideways Cornwall were awarded Hub Contributor of the Year for their on going support of the Hub.

Hub Awards committee member, Andrew Weaver, said: “ Well done to all the winners. This year’s Hub awards received the highest standard of entries to date and so the judging process was really tough. A big thanks as well to all of our sponsors, without whom such an event wouldn’t be possible.”

To take a look at all the pictures from the evening, check out our Facebook page

Exhibition stands are now on sale for Cornwall’s inaugural Home Show, in association with Cornwall Today Magazine, which will take place at Kingsley Village on Saturday, 30 April and Sunday, 1 May 2011.

The Cornwall Home Show is set to be a vibrant exhibition showcasing a wide variety of products, services and inspirational ideas for the home and garden.  The show will give exhibitors the perfect platform to showcase the very best products to a targeted audience whilst also offering visitors to the show the chance to meet the best of Cornwall’s home and garden specialists all under one roof.

The exhibition, managed by Live Events South West, is calling for specialist suppliers of bespoke, traditional, rustic and contemporary products and services, including; home décor, kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, furniture and fittings, gardens, technology, and renewable energy to get in touch to secure a space at the exclusive exhibition.

Exhibition space at the two day event is limited to only 42 stands. Full details of the event and information about how to book a stand can be found on the Cornwall Home Show website: www.cornwallhomeshow.co.uk

Eleven brave employees from eleven cornish businesses leaped from the skies at the LESW Charity Skydive Challenge 2010 raising over £5000 for the Children’s Hospice South West 'Precious Lives Appeal'.
 
The event, which took place at Perranporth Airfield with Skydive Cornwall on the 11th September was created by LESW to encourage more local businesses to kick start or build upon their Corporate Social Responsibility, and the first event has proved to be a great success!
 
The event was filmed and photographed and a short film has been produced to create more awareness of Children’s Hospice South West and show just how rewarding supporting a local charity can be.
 
The fantastic video, photo gallery and profiles of each person that took part can been seen by visiting the dedictated LESW Charity Skydive Challenge webpage.

Live Events SW is to host a charity skydiving event at Perranporth Airfield on 11th September 2010 to raise funds for the Children’s Hospice South West’s ‘Precious Lives Appeal’. The main aim is to raise over £4,000 to help towards the building of the Little Harbour, St Austell a much needed local hospice for life limited children and their families.

LESW are looking for 15 brave volunteers from local businesses to participate in the Charity Skydive Challenge. You’ll be happy to know the jump is at no cost to you and your businesses, as costs are covered by sponsorship you raise. Participating in this event will not only be rewarding and exhilarating for you or your staff, it will also help you to build upon your corporate social responsibility profile and gain some free PR. The event itself aims to be a great day for those jumping and their colleagues, family and friends.

There is a chance for both spectators and the local press to attend and support the brave skydivers as they take the plunge with some light entertainment and refreshments, you are welcome to take photos, and even do a spot of networking. At the event will be the LESW film crew and photographer capturing all the excitement and getting VT’s of those who jumped for this great cause, so you can share the experience creating a great PR opportunity for your business whilst giving something back to the local community.

You can find out more about the Precious Lives Appeal on their website www.chsw.org.uk If you want to be one of the lucky few that will get to experience this great opportunity then contact us now! Places are limited to 15 places and the person who raises the most money gets a free DVD of their once in lifetime skydive experience over Perranporth’s stunning coastline. email LESW on hello@lesw.co.uk now to get involved and receive your info pack!

The Track at Portreath, Cornwall who we sponsor, is inviting EVERYONE to The Track’s largest event to date to come in and have a look around, and if you fancy it, have a go! If you haven’t ever visited or haven’t even heard of The Track, this year’s event is just for you, with the event being geared up to try and get as many people to come down and ‘Have a Go’.

To help this The Track will be offering 30 minute free taster sessions over all 3 days, with the help of some brand new Kona bikes available to try out and the Duchy Pirates BMX racing club team on hand to give you all the advice and support you need. Our aim is to show that ‘The Track’ is suitable for all riders regardless of whether you are young or old, male or female, novice or pro. And spectator entry for the whole weekend is FREE!

The event will kick off on Saturday 1st May with The Track hosting the 1st round of the 2010 King of Dirt MTB Dirt jumping Competition! In the evening The Track will be hosting a party in honour of the ‘Portreath Barn Youth Project’, this will take place in their newly constructed undercover area at The Track. As the youth club are currently fund raising for a skate park, all proceeds from the Party Tickets (£3) will go to the youth project, local DJ Steve H is donating his time for the event along with local youth bands.

On Sunday, as part of the weekend The Track will also be hosting an amazing Kona Slopestyle Invitational with the UK’s top riders competing for a £500 prize fund. This is an awesome spectacle and well worth watching! On Monday, the competitions will be over, and all the pros will be having a relaxed ride around with everyone, also we will still be offering free taster sessions. So this is a great way to get a feel for biking and a chance to meet the pros. It’s going to be a belter so don’t miss out!

Weekend Spectator Entry – Free 30 Minute Taster Session - Free Saturday Evening Party

Entry: £3

Riders Weekend Pass: £15

For more information please contact The Track on 01209 211073 or email invitational@the-track.co.uk or visit www.the-track.co.uk.

The Track Invitational trailer can be found at: http://www.vimeo.com/9320444