Leading enterprise agency Wenta held a celebratory awards event for local business women on Thursday, 5th March, at The Forest Centre, Marston Moretaine. 

The event was attended by over 80 people and recognised the achievements of women who have started or grown their business through the ‘Women and Broadband’ scheme – a project funded by the Government (DCMS UK and Broadband Delivery UK) with the support of Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Councils, to support female entrepreneurs and increase their knowledge of social media and digital technologies.

The awards fell into five categories: Best New Business, Best Existing Business, Best Use of Social Media, Best Website and the Women and Broadband Most Outstanding Achievement.

Winners were Barbara Ashby, of Crystal Bouquet; Helen Roberts, of Kidatu Ltd; Debbie Wilson, of Your Wind Song; Bridget Lewis, of Card Crush; and Sue Fletcher, of Life Purpose.

Each of the five winners received a voucher worth £500, which they can use either for a two-day Wenta Business Boot Camp at Champneys or to buy IT equipment for their business.

Jeremy Green, Business Advisor at Wenta said:

 “Wenta are pleased to be involved in a scheme that is making a real difference to local women. To see so many of them making progress in starting or growing their business is incredibly inspirational for all of us involved in the project.”

Cllr Richard Wenham of Central Bedfordshire Council presented the awards. He said:

“The Women and Broadband scheme has been a huge success. We’ve supported over 150 female entrepreneurs across a wide range of industries in either starting or growing their business.  We’re investing millions on superfast broadband across Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, under the Central Superfast programme*. Superfast broadband will have a massive impact on supporting these new businesses, helping them maximise all the opportunities that the internet can offer. By making this investment we can ensure that we are able to support the businesses of both today and tomorrow.”

Cllr Rob Middleton from Milton Keynes Council said:
“As a Council, we are working hard to ensure our local businesses have the right broadband to meet their demanding needs. Given the challenging jobs market, this project is important as it will help female entrepreneurs on the road to success, and in the process, drive growth in our City and the wider region.”

Want to find out more?
It isn’t too late to get involved in this project, if you are a woman living in Central Bedfordshire, Bedford or Milton Keynes you can still sign up for FREE business advice and training courses on social media and website development. 
Whether you are just starting up or looking to improve your knowledge of the digital world to grow your business, contact sallyfarish@wenta.co.uk or visit www.wenta.co.uk/wab for more information.