Fareham MP Suella Braverman has welcomed the news that local businesses Captec and Easyskinz have received Queen’s Awards for Innovation and International Trade respectively. The businesses were among more than 200 businesses that have been honoured with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise across the country. The local firms were selected for their displays of entrepreneurship.
Three quarters of this year’s winners are small and medium sized businesses, demonstrating that the UK is among the best places in the world when it comes to starting and growing a business. Lately the Government have introduced a range of new measures to enhance the economy through stimulating business. These include:
- Investing £7 billion in new public funding for research and innovation.
- Assisting small businesses wishing to access finance – the British Business Bank has provided financial support worth £5.9 billion to over 82,000 smaller businesses across the country since its establishment.
- Providing small businesses with £200 million to grow and scale up their operations.
- Providing a £31 million package of support for small businesses helping them grow and reach their full potential.
- Legislating to make it easier for small businesses to access invoice finance, providing a £1 billion longterm boost to the economy.
- Cutting business rates for small retailers by a third for two years – saving 90 per cent of all shops, pubs and restaurants up to £8,000.
Commenting, Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
“We know that the UK is the best place to start and grow a business, which we will build on through our modern Industrial Strategy. These awards recognise great British success stories that are the face of this achievement, and I’m proud that so many small businesses are being celebrated by receiving a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.”
The winners will receive the awards at a Buckingham Palace reception, where their contribution to the UK economy will be celebrated. These awards recognise businesses for their contribution in four categories, with the winners including:
- 129 International Trade winners
- 61 Innovation winners
- 6 Sustainable Development winners
- 5 Promoting Opportunity winners
Suella Braverman MP said:
“It’s fantastic that we have two Fareham businesses being recognised by Her Majesty the Queen for such a prestigious award. Captec and EasySkinz are great examples of what our economy in Fareham is capable of and both these firms, along with the dozens of other innovative small and medium sized businesses that I meet, make a huge contribution to the economy.”
