Business Growth Fund pledges �10,000 to winner of Newspaper Society’s Local Business Accelerators scheme

An independent business has pledged a �10,000 cash prize to the overall winner of a competition searching for the country’s best start-up.

The Recorder has teamed up with Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden in the search for the borough’s most promising businesses in the Newspapers Society’s Local Business Accelerators.

A panel of judges will then select one to progress to the national stage where the overall winner will win a year’s mentoring from the ‘dragon’, an advertising campaign from a top agency and the cash prize from the Business Growth Fund (BGF).

Around 500 newspapers are taking part, offering a total of �15million of free advertising to local winners.

BGF chief executive Stephen Welton said: “Local Business Accelerators is an excellent initiative by the local press industry which recognises and rewards the most promising young businesses. It is a much needed boost to UK entrepreneurship.”

For more information or to enter this competition visit www.accelerateme.co.uk, by Friday, November 16.