News

Winners announced! First-ever Heads of the Valleys Innovation Awards

18 Gorff 2007

More than 120 people attended the first ever Heads of the Valleys Innovation Awards and Marketplace at the Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran. The Awards celebrate and reward the most innovative businesses in the area. Businesses gained recognition for business activities they have implemented that have had a dramatic and beneficial impact.

Phil Burkhard, Manager of the Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme (HOVIP) commented, "Innovation is important for any business to stay ahead of the game. We were thrilled to have received so many entries for this inaugural Innovation Awards. It is an excellent example of how much innovative activity is happening in the Heads of the Valleys area."

"The five winners of the inaugural Heads of the Valleys Innovation Awards are shining examples of innovation in action and demonstrate the significant contribution businesses like these are making to the economy of the area."

Huw Lewis, Minister for Regeneration said, "I’m delighted by the success of the awards ceremony. It’s excellent news for the economy of the Heads of the Valleys area to see the support that HOVIP can provide to help them face the challenges they encounter and to thrive."

The winners are:
Most Innovative Social Enterprise -sponsored by NESTA:
Garnsychan Partnership for their Wood Wise recycling project.

Most Innovative Sole Trader - sponsored by HSBC:
Purple Prose for their ‘Leading Ladies’ calendar.

Most Innovative Business with less than 20 employees - sponsored by KTS Owens Thomas:
Joint winners
Royvon Dog Training Schools, for their Customer Relationship Management system linked to customer reporting and International Technical Diving Agency Ltd for their new world diver training standard.

Most Innovative Business with more than 20 employees - sponsored by BT:
Penn Pharmaceutical Services Ltd for their cross functional Fast Track Team

The joy expressed by all the winners was summed up by Sassy Hicks, Assistant Manager of the Garnsychan Partnership, who said:

"I am still on cloud nine! I can’t even begin to tell you what this award means to us at the partnership. I honestly never expected to win and was in so much shock when we were named as winners! Thank you."

For further information about the Heads of the Valleys Innovation Programme, please visit www.hovip.org.uk.