Pictured is: Anjana Gadgil, presenter of The News Business Excellence Awards 2021 Picture: Keith Woodland (080721-23)
‘Portsmouth and the surrounding areas have some of the best examples of businesses in the country and I am proud that through The News we were able to showcase them.’
The night coincided with the inaugural Portsmouth and District Business Week, which started on Monday.
The week was organised by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and the Portsmouth Business Strategy Leadership Group and has seen scores of events take place across the city and online to share expertise, advice and know-how in a grand celebration of enterprise.
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Fraser Talbot. Picture: Keith Woodland (010521-48)
Now, the community group of around 100 members is campaigning for a new park with ‘concrete waves’ on the seafront site.
Hayling resident Matt Pilkington, project chair, said: ‘Now is the perfect time to launch the new campaign.’
The team wants to create a new structure from spray concrete.
Raising money through crowdfunding and grants, the community group hope to have the necessary funds by summer 2022.
Darren Drinkwater and Matt Pilkington. Picture: Keith Woodland (010521-57)
Matt, 35, said: ‘Having concrete waves on the beach will be a genuine draw for people, and creating the new park from concrete will be much quieter, safer, fun for users, cheaper to maintain, and it has a longer lifespan. It will make it look really interesting and cool.
The hub has helped hundreds of small organisations across the Solent region and it also runs the Transfer to Transform initiative, which offers SMEs the opportunity to have apprenticeship training fully-funded.
The initiative has been of enormous help to a number of Portsmouth-based small businesses including Aspex Gallery, J Robbins and Son and Blue Reef aquarium.
A spokesperson from the Aspex Gallery, an art gallery at Gunwharf Quays, said: ‘The levy transfer is of enormous benefit to organisations such as ourselves – as a small registered charity the opportunity to benefit from the levy and cover the cost of the training and development of a member of the team is something we are extremely grateful for.