Hatton Garden wins enterprising London award
Date: 03/11/04
Hatton Garden, EC1N, has been voted the most enterprising place in London in the first Enterprising London competition. The award was presented to Holts' jewellers of Hatton Garden for their work with local businesses and the community. It recognises the instrumental support that the London Borough of Camden and others have provided the industry over the last four years.
In Spring 2005 Hatton Garden will go on to join eleven other locations from across the country in the national finals of the Enterprising Britain competition, which was launched by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown earlier this year.
Since 2000, Camden Council has invested in Hatton Garden to help the area safeguard its industry and keep traditional manufacturing alive. This work has included:
· founding the Hatton Garden Jewellery Centre Partnership, which includes key local businesses and the public sector working together to develop projects to support the industry
· appointing a dedicated Jewellery Development Officer to work with local partners to develop the future of the industry in the area
· supporting a bid for The Skills and Links project, run by Holts' Jewellery School and The City Lit, which overcomes barriers between the local industry and residents and raises awareness of jobs and training opportunities
Theo Blackwell, Executive Member for Regeneration, Social Inclusion and Equalities said:
"Camden Council is proud to be supporting an industry with such a significant tradition of high quality manufacturing and design. Hatton Garden is a hidden gem in Camden and one of the most intensive creative clusters in London, so it's a fantastic boost for everyone involved that its achievements have been acknowledged in this way."
Looking to the future, Camden Council is leading on a new three-year initiative to develop a Jewellery Sector Investment Plan with its industry partners. As consumer spending on jewellery has risen by 33 per cent in five years (Mintel, 2004), the partnership aims to strengthen Hatton Garden's position as the hub of the industry, promote it as a key London destination, and help create more jobs in the sector for local people.Â
For further information contact Fiona McKeith, Jewellery Sector Development Manager on 020 7974 3519 or fiona.mckeith@camden.gov.uk
The Enterprising London Awards are promoted by The London Development Agency (LDA), the Mayor's agency for business and jobs. The awards are part of the 2004 Enterprising Britain competition to find the British Capital of Enterprise. The competition intends to celebrate and recognise enterprise achievement throughout all the regions of the UK and encourage people from a wide range of backgrounds to set up their own businesses.
The Skills and Links project is funded with £420,000 from the London Development Agency.
Camden Council successfully applied for funding for the Jewellery Sector Investment Plan from the LDA (£218,000) and The Goldsmiths' Company (£50,000), awarded in September 2004.
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