Challenge Category Winners Announced!

Over 100 people entered this year’s ‘If we can, you can’ Challenge, as we sought to award North East entrepreneurs for their outstanding business ideas, inspiring journeys and commitment to making their businesses succeed.

It’s all about encouraging a spirit of entrepreneurship in the North East, and raising awareness of the region’s fantastic entrepreneurs. As we’ve often mentioned, the quality of this year’s entrants has monumentally surpassed all expectations, and we want to thank them all for sharing their inspirational stories.

In addition to our ‘Faces of Entrepreneurship’ and ambassadors, this year we decided to award seven additional entrants. These entrepreneurs were deemed by the judges to have demonstrated pure determination to succeed, often overcoming a challenge or stereotype to follow their passion.

The category challenge winners are:

Maureen Lindberg (Tyne and Wear) – started a business from a corporate background;

Richard Hannam (Hexham) – became an entrepreneur after being made redundant;

Vinnie Morgan (Teesside) – started a business straight after education;

Derek Foxcroft (Teesside) – frustration at work led him to start a business;

Clare Fenwick (Hartlepool) – a parent with small children who became an entrepreneur;

Helen Ledger (Sunderland) – an ‘accidental entrepreneur’; who saw an opportunity

Sarah Pittendrigh (County Durham) – a single parent who started her own business.

Each of the seven winners will be awarded an ipod touch, and an invitation to attend the Entrepreneurs’ Forum’s annual SME conference - which will give valuable advice for small businesses on breaking through challenges and opportunities.

Please take a look at our winners and view their If we can, you can profiles – they are all incredibly inspiring.