VAC works with people and communities to improve the quality of life in rural Cumbria

The Interreg IIIC TOWER Project

Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs

Ten Cumbrian businesswomen are taking part in a transnational Interreg IIIC (TOWER) 'Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs' Project:

Karen James - Kiddlywinks PreSchool Centre and Day Nursery, Penrith. www.kiddlywinks.co.uk (site currently under construction)
Bernadette Stamper - High Head Sculpture Valley, Carlisle. www.highheadsculpturevalley.co.uk
Chris Kearse - Halfmoon Wholefoods, Brampton. 01697 73775
Xenia Tran - Holistic Linguistics, Kendal. www.holisticlinguistics.org
Annette Gibbons - Cumbria on a Plate, Maryport. www.cumbriaonaplate.co.uk
Lynn Ballantine Dykes - Wardhall Dairy, Wigton. www.wardhall.co.uk (site currently under construction)
Sue Bloy - Business Development Solutions Ltd, Keswick. www.bdsuk.net
Laura Barnett - LMB Design, Ulverston. www.lmd-design.co.uk
Annie Caine - ASCET HR Solutions, Barrow. www.ascetsolutions
Pauline Wright - Wright Business Solutions Ltd. pauline@paulinewright.com

Project Objectives

To run a sensitive, flexible and dynamic process for developing partnerships and person to person networking for inspiring female entrepreneurs and people from the support structure, to extend and improve female entrepreneurship.

To exhange experiences, knowledge and ideas between entrepreneurs and support structures at local and regional levels across the three countries.

To run a series of workshops/lectures/activities designed to inspire women entrepreneurs and support structures to boost entrepeneurial spirit.

To maintain sustainable regional and trans national networking between the entrepreneurs involved and public/private partners.

To improve policy making and approaches to the topic of women entrepreneurship on a strategic level with the aim of improving regional economic growth strategies by integrating the cross-cutting criteria of gender equality.

Participants

The project involves 30 female entrepreneurs and 6 business supporters from 4 regions of Europe.

Partners

NW England - Cumbria
VAC (Voluntary Action Cumbria) is the lead partner in the project
Contact: VAC on +44 (0)1768 840827 email: vac@ruralcumbria.org.uk

France - Rhône Alps
Action'elles
Contact: Angelique de Silva on +33 4 78 77 36 04 email: angelique.dasilva@actionelles.fr

East Central Sweden - Norrköpings and Örebro
Municipality of Norrköpings
Contact: Monica Hjern +46 (0) 11 153416 email: monica.hjern@norrkoping.se
Örebro County
Contact: Ingela Pihl 019 19 35 47 email: ingela.pihl@t.Ist.se

Project Phases

The project has 4 main phases;

Phase one began in June 2006 with a planning event.
Phase two involves 3 trans national workshops, Sweden in October 2006 (details below), France in March 2007 and the UK in June 2007.
Phase three hosts several trans regional and regional interim activities.
Phase four provides the evaluation, production and dissemination of a good practice guide.

Sweden 2006

The participants spent two days in Sweden in October 2006, discussing networking and work/life balance.

France 2007

They got back together in Lyon, France, in March 2007, where personal development was put under the spotlight, together with leadership and management.

Cumbria 2007

The Cumbria event in June 2007 was a huge success, and focused on business development, and included themes such as importing/exporting, marketing and e-commerce.

Interreg IIIC website: www.interreg3c.net
Official website of DG Regional Policy: www.europa.eu.int/inforegio

Tower logo InterregIIIC logo

Last updated on: 2008-09-22