The annual search for the most enterprising destination on the UK’s ‘business map’ has started.

Enterprising Britain showcases cities, villages, towns and neighbourhoods that have tackled the economic downturn and are successfully creating jobs, boosting local business and nurturing entrepreneurial talent.

The competition has, for the first time, expanded to five categories which organisations can enter any or all of:

• Enterprise culture
• Driving entrepreneurial skills
• Business support and start-up
• Global entrepreneurship
• Social cohesion

To mark the launch, trade, investment and small business minister Lord Davies visited last year’s winner Lowestoft in the east of England to discover how it reduced disadvantage by transforming itself from a town faced with declining industries and low aspiration into a breeding ground for business growth and job creation by encouraging enterprising activity and self-employment and with support from local enterprise agency NWES.

NWES chief executive Kevin Horne said Lowestoft was now seen as ‘the place to do business’.

‘But we’re not complacent,’ he said, ‘we’re also working with parts of the community who remain excluded from the mainstream business community and NWES has staff working with local schools to enthuse the next generation of entrepreneurs.'

‘We have already used the award in attracting substantial new investment into the town in the offshore renewables industry and the profile of Lowestoft has risen rapidly with many people wanting to understand how we have achieved so much.’

by Jill Theobald at NewStart

For more information visit www.enterpriseuk.org/enterprisingbritain