Find out how Scarborough succeeded in becoming enterprise capital of the UK 2008. The award draws to a close the annual Enterprising Britain competition which sees enterprising places in the UK being identified and celebrated.
Following a lengthy competition spanning over nine months Scarborough Renaissance Partnership came out on top to show the UK how it transformed the local community through enterprise. Aptly named Waking Sleeping Beauty the project has transformed the once declining seaside town into a place bustling with enterprise excellence.
In 2002 the level of unemployment in Scarborough was twice the North Yorkshire average, with more than a third of residents living in neighbourhoods among the 20% most deprived in the country. To address these issues the council and Regional Development Agency joined to form Scarborough Renaissance Partnership and developed an enterprise strategy which sought to diversify the local economy.
The implementation of the strategy has transformed Scarborough from a town once dependant on tourism and fishing industries into a cultural town which has seen a sharp increase in the number of creative business start-ups and development of sectors such as surfboard manufacturing. The combined impact of the physical regeneration of the harbourside and venture such as Woodend Creative Workspace have radically changed Scarborough’s image. The town has seen massive private sector investment with every £1 of investment from the public sector attracting £10 of private sector investment.
Peter Jones, BBC TV Dragon and national Enterprising Britain Judge said: “Scarborough is a town with enterprise in its blood. The Waking Sleeping Beauty name is very apt: this is a town that has learnt to tap into its latent entrepreneurial talent and harness it with tremendous results”.
Finalists of Enterprising Britain 2008 are: Heart of Hawick, Furness Enterprise, Herefordshire Council, UK Centre for Carnival Arts, Menter Mon, BioCity Nottingham, Millbrook Technology Campus, Plymouth Business Growth, Ashton Community Trust, Tynedale Enterprise Network and Wandsworth Youth Enterprise Centre.
For further information on the Enterprising Britain competition please visit http://www.enterprisingbritain.org