Dragons’ Den entrepreneur speaks at free awards evening

Rachel Elnaugh, an original ‘Dragon’ in BBC TV’s Dragons’ Den and now one of Britain’s highest profile female entrepreneurs, will be guest speaker at an awards evening for east Manchester businesses.

The free event, the last in this year's East Manchester Business Network events calendar, will be held at the City of Manchester stadium on Tuesday 11 December and is organised and funded by New East Manchester. Not only will local companies get the chance to meet Rachel Elnaugh but they'll also meet a host of other experts including private investors, business agencies, business consultants and support and advice services, giving them the chance to discuss their businesses and network.

Special guests will be five local companies who have made the shortlist in a major competition called EnterPrize aimed at new businesses in east Manchester. These five companies have already beaten of stiff competition from 40 other entrants and one will pick up the top prize of £10,000 on the evening while a second will get a £5,000 runners-up prize.

The five shortlisted east Manchester companies include Dream Clubs, a health and fitness company; Any Tackle, a supplier to the angling industry; Smart Plan, which produces software for builders, architectural technicians; Duo Design, a web design and development consultancy and Cactus, a home automation company.

Eddie Smith, New East Manchester's deputy chief executive said: "There are still places available for this free event and I would encourage local entrepreneurs and business people from the east Manchester area to come along, hear our guest speaker and find out more about the East Manchester Business Network. Reviving the local economy and creating new job opportunities is an important part of what we do at New East Manchester and we can offer a great deal of advice and support to help companies thrive in this part of the city."

Rachel Elnaugh, former TV Dragon, entrepreneur and mother-of-five commented: "Entrepreneurship is my passion, and therefore I am delighted to be speaking at the East Manchester Business Network event - not only to share some of the experiences of my own entrepreneurial rollercoaster ride, but hopefully to inspire motivate and help others on their own business journey."

Free places are still available but are limited and must be pre-booked. Call Lenny Wright on 0161 223 1155 or e-mail lenny@neweastmanchester.com for more details.

For more information on New East Manchester visit http://www.neweastmanchester.com/

Media contact:

Roz Hughes, tel: 0161 223 1155