Business start-ups in the Derry City and Strabane District are being encouraged to avail of a unique opportunity for financial and business support as part of its £10k Business Challenge. The competition, which closes for entries on Monday 4th February, is aimed at those thinking of starting a new business or who have started a new business and have not yet registered on the ‘Go for It’ programme.

The Challenge, now in its third year, has been a huge success in rewarding and acknowledging the creativity and innovation shown by local enterprises. The Challenge is aimed at new businesses and those who have participated in the ‘Go For It’ programme.

Calling on local start-ups to get involved in this year’s £10k Business Challenge before the February 4th deadline, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Cllr John Boyle said the project is a fantastic way of developing local businesses and giving start-ups a helping hand towards enhancing their business product and availing of new business opportunities.

He said: “The 10K Challenge is aimed at anyone who is thinking of starting a new business or has one set up over the past six months and has yet to register for the ‘Go for It’ programme so they can avail of new opportunities to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurship. The Council, through its Business Development team, are very focused on developing local businesses and encouraging our local entrepreneurs and they believe that the £10k Challenge is a great way to demonstrate their entrepreneurship and creativity and be in with a chance of securing one of the many cash prizes and additional support on offer. We also hope to inspire everyone who takes part and create some value to them going forward with their plans.”

Eamon Canning, Managing Director of Campsie based hemp food and CBD supplement producers ‘Hempful’ – formed in 2016 with support from the ‘Go For It’ programme and a runner up in last year’s £10k Business Challenge – added:

“The ‘Go For It’ programme was critical in helping me to reach the point where I could start trading” he said.

“The programme not only helped guide me through every aspect of a start-up which is the most critical time for any business, but its advisers also helped design our business plan and advised us on the best funding options to set up our facility in Campsie.

“They also pointed us in the direction of Enterprise Week and the £10k Business Challenge where we claimed a £1,000 cash prize to invest in the business.

“I’d therefore really encourage start-ups throughout the council area to register for the ‘Go For It’ programme and apply for this fantastic competition.”

Louise Breslin, Business Development Manager with Derry City and Strabane District Council, said the Business 10k Challenge is a great opportunity for local businesses to share their ideas and be in with a chance of winning up to £2,500. She added that new to this year’s competition is a student prize of £1,000.

She said: “The Council’s Business Development team are committed to developing and expanding our existing business base and entrepreneurial activity is a critical driver of economic prosperity. The Challenge has been a huge success to date with our previous winners really benefitting from being involved and using the prizemoney to fund their business development plans. The Challenge is a key element of the business development and promoting entrepreneurship commitment that is set out in the Council’s Strategic Growth Plan. This competition really allows us to engage with businesses and invite them to be creative which in turn will greatly benefit the local economy and provide the support needed for entrepreneurs and organisations who want assistance in bringing to life their ideas and innovations.”

The prize fund of £10,000 is broken down into seven cash prizes including, £2,500 for the first prizewinner, £2,000 for the second prizewinner and £1,500 for the third prizewinner with three runner-up prizes of £1,000 as well as a £1,000 student prize. In addition to the cash prizes, the Council is working with a range of partners including North West Regional College, Ulster University, Intergrade Ireland, Invest NI and other support providers to establish a package of support for all the winners.

The closing date for entries is 12pm on Monday 4th February 2019. The application process will comprise of a completed application form which will be reviewed by a panel of five judges who will shortlist seven businesses to pitch their business idea at a winners’ announcement event which will be held as part of Enterprise Week on Thursday 7th March 2019.

The post £10k up for grabs for local business start-ups first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The independent farming enterprise have taken on a New Year’s resolution to crack down on use of plastic in order to move forward into 2019 with a fresh green start.

Many people at this time of year will be looking to their greens for a fresh and healthy start to 2019.  On the farm at Mash Direct, there are plenty of vegetables all year round and so commitment to going green is crucial. They plan to remove all black packaging by St. Patrick’s Day in March.  This will remove over 240 tonnes of black packaging from the food system every year.

In addition to this, they are also extending their commitment to keeping all of their range palm oil free.

A spokesperson for the company said: “In 2018, we achieved our goal of eradicating palm oil from our products in light of the issues surrounding deforestation.  We reformulated the recipe of our Chilli Baby Bakes to remove palm oil and continue to enforce this rule across our new product development.  In 2019 we are aiming to remove all black plastic from our packaging by April, years ahead of the targets set by many major supermarkets.

Being the farm and the kitchen we are in a unique position as we have direct control over our entire range from farm to fork creating one of the most vertically integrated supply chains in the ready meal sector.”

Their pledge is to move all vegetable side dishes to environmentally friendly trays which can be fully recycled as opposed to the previously used black trays. These cannot be sorted by the optical sorting systems used in plastics recycling and as a result, black plastic packaging commonly ends up as residue and is disposed of in landfill. By moving to fully recyclable trays they are improving their environmental footprint as well as contributing to the long-term health and prosperity of the Food and Drink Sector.

Chief Operating Officer at Mash Direct, Jack Hamilton said, “With a new year, what a better time to start thinking about the healthier option for the planet.”

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The supermarket has reported seeing Easter pre-sales (for 2019 sell-out) increase 37% year-on-year, with impulse, gifting and giant eggs driving this rise.

With the average Easter shopper basket worth nearly double the average everyday grocery basket, the Group says retailers are increasingly recognising the huge sales potential the key trading period offers and are getting ahead of the curve to cash in on market-leading deals.

Robbie Moore, CSG’s Category Manager for Confectionery & Seasonal, said: “With next year’s Easter coming 20 days later than in 2018, you might think retailers would be putting off planning. 

However, with Easter becoming such a crucial trading period, we’ve rolled out our category advice guide earlier than ever. That combined with our new retail offer, made possible by the Co-op supply deal, has ensured our retailers have all the right tools to deliver an amazing Easter 2019 for their shoppers.”

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2018 saw over 2,000 individual donations made to causes including community groups, schools, Scout groups, charities, sports clubs and many more through its Making a Difference Locally charity.

One such cause to benefit from a donation last year was The Regal Tenbury Trust, who received a donation of £1,000 from Bowkett’s Nisa Extra in Tenbury Wells to help fund their community musical.

Bowkett’s General Manager, Glenys Holdcroft commented: “Supporting The Regal with these funds has enabled them to further invest in our children’s arts and theatre programmes, bringing professional theatre, arts, events, movies and children’s activities into our local community.

“As a theatre and cinema, The Regal receives no major sponsorship and relies heavily on their volunteer base, so we are delighted to be able to help them to continue their valuable service to the community with this donation.”

Kate Carroll, Nisa’s Head of Charity, added: “2018 was another incredible year for charitable giving amongst Nisa retailers and donations have been made to a wide variety of deserving causes. The donations made will make a huge difference to small charities and other community causes, particularly those that rely on public support.

“Donating almost £1m is another great milestone to reach in our 10^th birthday year, which saw the charity raise £10m since 2008.”

Making a Difference Locally (MADL) raises funds in Nisa partner stores through sales of Heritage own label products and branded items featured on the Nisa leaflet, in addition to funds raised via in-store collecting tins.

The post Nisa’s charity supports good causes with almost £1m in 2018 first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.