Renewables help crown Lowestoft Britain’s enterprise capital
Lowestoft has been named the most enterprising place in Britain.
Local agency NWES won this year’s Enterprising Britain award for helping turn around a steep decline in the town’s economy.
It focused on arts, social enterprise and renewables to create almost 10,000 new jobs in the seaside town.
Run by Enterprise UK on behalf of the department for business, innovation and skills, this year’s Enterprising Britain finalists included Glasgow, Hull and Chatham.
The judges commended Lowestoft for transforming its economy following one of the worst periods in its history.
In the bottom 15% of deprived areas in the UK, Lowestoft was challenged by declining industries, seasonal unemployment and a large migratory population.
NWES was set up during the last recession and has help start up over 5000 new businesses. It has helped fund a performing arts centre and the £8.7m OrbisEnergy centre focused on renewables.
Polly Gower, one of the judges and an award-winning entrepreneur said that NWES’s model of working should be replicated across the country: ‘Lowestoft is a fantastic example of the role that alternative business models and new technologies can play.
'Renewables have formed a key part of NWES’s bid to become the most enterprising place in the UK and the project is one of the early adopters of the social enterprise model, proving what a success this can be.’
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