19/09 Leicetershire businesses should think globally

Leicetershire businesses should think globally urges UK Trade &
Investment

Leicestershire small and medium sized businesses can put their names
down to find out how to harness the power of international trade at a
free roadshow event organised by UK Trade & Investment.

The session on Thursday 21 September is at the Three Swans Hotel, High
Street, Market Harborough. A free continental breakfast will be
available to delegates from 08:00am. The Presentation will start 08:30am
finishing at 10:30am.

UK Trade & Investment's export advisors will be on hand to give advice
and guidance and provide more details about match funding and visiting
overseas markets. In addition those attending will get vouchers for
free attendance at three East Midlands International Trade Association
(emita) networking events worth £75.

Tim Jelley, senior international trade adviser for UK Trade &
Investment, based at Business Link Leicestershire, said:

"Exporting can do more than just increase your sales. Our research
shows that companies who trade overseas also improve their domestic
business.

"The first step for any business is to start to think globally. If not,
you won't be taking advantage of the opportunities that exporting can
provide to help develop your business in a global marketplace. This
workshop is a good place to start."

Each delegate will receive an information pack detailing all the
services and support that UK Trade & Investment offers.

The roadshow is one of 10 events taking place across the East Midlands.
The next roadshow in Leicestershire is on 23rd November at the
Hermitage Hotel in Coalville.

For further details contact UK Trade & Investment's International Trade
Team based in Business Link Leicester on 0116 258 7329 or to reserve
your place visit: http://eventsforce.net/uktiexportroadshow

02/08 'Your pound, your choice' trial launches in Leicester and Plymouth

'Your pound, your choice' trial launches in Leicester and Plymouth
public get a say in awarding of National Lottery grants

The Big Lottery Fund and National Lottery operator, Camelot Group plc,
have today (1 August) launched a trial voting scheme called 'Your
Pound, Your Choice' in the cities of Leicester and Plymouth. The scheme
allows the public in each location to help decide which projects from a
shortlist of four should receive a Big Lottery Fund grant of up to
£50,000.

The trial, which was announced last month by Secretary of State for
Culture, Media and Sport, Tessa Jowell - will, for the first time allow
the public to cast their vote where they buy their lottery tickets.
Voting slips are available at approximately 130 participating National
Lottery retailers in each city (Leicester and Plymouth) from today to
Sunday 27 August.

The short-listed projects in Leicester are;

Bronte Close Green Space Project - Leicester City Council
To turn an overgrown, unmanaged area of community land in the
Braunstone area of Leicester into a toddlers playground and an area for casual
ball games. By transforming the site in Bronte Close, it will become an
area for the local community to use.

College Coffee Bar - Countesthorpe Community College
To create a coffee bar within Countesthorpe Community College. It will
give students, staff and visitors to the college somewhere to socialise
outside of their learning activities. The college is open until 10pm
each evening and is widely used by local community groups.

Sporting Venue - Rushey Mead School
To create a safe and accessible sports facility for the whole community
to use, with the aim of improving the health and well-being of local
people. This sports facility would also be used by Rushey Mead school.

'We Are Here!' Arts Project - 27a Access Artspace Ltd
To improve this community arts facility in Leicester City Centre, by
offering better access for people with disabilities. The money would help
pay for disabled access improvements, added security and a member of
staff to help manage the project and promote it to a wider audience.
The short-listed projects in Plymouth are:

Alexandra Park Redevelopment - Friends of Alexandra Park
To redevelop Alexandra Park in Keyham, Plymouth to mark its centenary
in 2007. The money would be used to create a memorial garden to those
who gave their lives in world conflicts and a garden area for people with
disabilities.

'The Big Splash' Boat Building Project - Horizons (Plymouth)
To involve young people in building a community boat. The project will
be run by Horizons in Devonport, Plymouth and one of the key aims is to
make the boat accessible to all, including people with disabilities.

Children's Sensory Garden - Give a Child a Chance
To create a safe and secure sensory garden at the Plymouth Child
Development Centre. The garden, in the Beacon Park/North Prospect area of
Plymouth would allow local children with disabilities to experience
different sounds, textures and smells.

'The Musical Snoozelum' Project - Plymouth Music Zone Ltd
To create a multi sensory room, including light and sound projectors,
for young people with disabilities to participate in music making. The
project would be run by Plymouth Music Zone in the Devonport/Brickfields
area.

Descriptions of each project appear on voting slips located near
lottery terminals in participating retailers. Players can choose which
projects should receive a Lottery grant by simply putting a cross next to
their favourite and entering the slip into a ballot box. At the end of
the four-week voting period, ballot boxes will be collected and votes
counted by an independent organisation. The two projects in each area
with the most votes will receive a grant of up to £50,000 each.

Commenting on the trial, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and
Sport, Tessa Jowell, said:

"The National Lottery is not just great fun for players, it is a major
funder of good causes in the UK with projects receiving £18.6 billion
so far. From developing local community centres to major public value
projects like the Eden Project and the Angel of the North, locally and
nationally Lottery money has helped change the face of the Nation.

"It is vital that the public feel that they have a genuine sense of
ownership of the National Lottery and real power to shape decisions and
influence outcomes. That's why this trial is so important. We have
already made the Lottery more responsive to the views of the public - the
'Your Pound, Your Choice' trial in Plymouth and Leicester will take that a
step further. I hope that Lottery players in both these cities will
make the most of this early opportunity to vote for their favourite good
cause project in their area."

Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund said: "This
is a ground-breaking opportunity for the people of Leicester and
Plymouth to participate in Lottery funding decisions where they live. It gives
the community a direct say, down their way, on which projects in their
area should receive a lottery award. This joint initiative aims to
provide a very real connection between local people and lottery
grant-making."

Camelot Chief Executive, Dianne Thompson said: "We are always
encouraging and supportive of any measures that increase the public's
involvement in the lottery - and research shows that the playing public support
the idea of being involved in making decisions on lottery grants. We're
delighted to be able to be an integral part of this project and have
invested a significant amount of time and resource with the Big Lottery
Fund to make it a meaningful and engaging trial."

The 'Your Pound, Your Choice' trial has been set up after research in
1995 by National Lottery distributors showed an overwhelming majority
(94 per cent) of the British public supported the idea of being more
involved in making decisions on grants. The joint initiative will see
Camelot - with its retail partners, running the trial in stores, while the
Big Lottery Fund will liaise closely with the selected projects, award
the winning grants, and administer the funding.

The trial builds on previous successful initiatives that Lottery
distributors have introduced to involve the public in making decisions on
funding - including the successful 'People's Millions' project which
launched last year on ITV.

13/07 Leicester firm to receive its Queen's Award

Leicester firm to receive its Queen's Award


MSA Engineering Systems of Thurmaston near Leicester will receive its
Queen's Award for Enterprise on Wednesday 5 July. The hand-made crystal
bowl will be presented at the firm's offices by the Lord Lieutenant for
Leicestershire The Lady Gretton JP at a special event attended by
employees and local civic leaders.

The company was among six East Midlands organisations to win
prestigious Queen's Awards 2006. It gained the Award in the Innovation category
for the development of machinery and wire laying systems for
manufacturing electrofusion fittings.

Media representatives are invited to attend the presentation at MSA
Engineering, 3 Assured Drive, Thurmaston, Leicester LE4 8BB on Wednesday 5
July at 11.15am. For further information or to confirm attendance
please contact Alice Oliver at GNN on 0115 971 2787.

Stephen Brice, Secretary of The Queen's Awards Office, said: "Such
presentations and related publicity are an important part of winning a
Queen's Award, and most successful companies involve both their staff and
customers in celebrating this prestigious business accolade."

He added: "Companies that wish to emulate MSA's success can enter for
The Queen's Awards 2007. The closing date is 31 October and winners will
be announced on Her Majesty's birthday next April."