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Manchester entrepreneurs complete 100k Challenge
Over the past five days, 10 top businessmen have put their physical strength and entrepreneurial spirit to the test during an epic 100k Challenge across Europe in aid of the NSPCC Hear Our Cry appeal.
Dragging their aching limbs across the finish line in Barcelona last night, the runners were drained and exhausted but immensely proud of the achievement and of the £100,000 raised.
Mike Perls, CEO of MC2 and driving force behind the 100k Challenge, commented: “It certainly hasn’t been a stroll in the park. Ash clouds, stomach bugs and uphill runs in Holland were all unexpected obstacles for us and have made the challenge that bit harder. There were times I think we all thought we wouldn’t make it to Barcelona so I am thrilled that we all completed the last 10k and are still here to tell the tale!”
Airport closures caused by the volcanic ash cloud meant the runners’ best laid plans to fly direct to Amsterdam for the second leg of the challenge on Sunday actually resulted in a last minute dash to Dover for a ferry and a midnight run in a rather rainy Ostend.
Despite the set back of the first day, the team soon got back on track running 10k routes in major European cities such as Brussels, Geneva and Monaco before strapping up ankles, hamstrings and toes for the last leg of the challenge in Barcelona yesterday afternoon.
Perls added: “It’s been an absolutely amazing experience for all of us but we’re hugely relieved that it’s complete. Our energy reserves were virtually empty after two runs and the extra travel on the first day so, from then on, it has been a constant challenge to pick ourselves up ready for the next race.
“We have had great support throughout the challenge, in the cities we have visited as well as from family, friends and contacts at home which has really helped keep us going. People have donated generously for the Hear Our Cry appeal and I’m delighted that we have managed to raise such a substantial sum of money for the NSPCC. We’ve still got a little way to go to hit our target of £100,000 though so if you haven’t donated yet please visit www.hearourcry.co.uk.”
Hear Our Cry is a new campaign for the NSPCC in the North West and has been launched to promote awareness of the vital helpline services provided by the charity, including ChildLine, the UK’s free confidential 24-hour helpline for children, and the NSPCC Helpline for adults concerned about a child.
The aim of the campaign is to raise £2.7m by May 2011 to ensure more children and young people across the region have access to the help they need when they need it most.
Angela Capper, NSPCC development manager for the North West said: “Many thanks to Manchester’s entrepreneurs for their commitment and dedication in completing this epic 10k challenge to support the NSPCC. It is a fantastic achievement and our congratulations go to each one of them. Thanks for the businessmen’s time and fundraising efforts, the money raised will help support our vital helpline services to ensure we can answer even more cries for help from children in the UK.”
To find out more about the 100k Challenge or the Hear Our Cry appeal please go to www.hearourcry.co.uk or to donate the Just Giving page is www.justgiving.com/100kchallenge.
ANS Group does the double at NetApp awards
Manchester-based ANS Group has won the Best New Partner award at this year’s NetApp awards in London.
Having become a NetApp gold partner 12 months ago, ANS won the award as a result of its impressive sales growth, securing a raft of new contracts in both the private and public sectors.
The judges credited ANS for its “highly professional marketing campaigns that focused on Data Centre Solutions and ‘spend to save’, which has led to the creation of high levels of opportunities and a number of new accounts won during the year.”
Paul Sweeney, managing director of ANS Group commented: “Having only been a gold partner with NetApp for the last twelve months, this is a fantastic achievement for the Group and we are delighted to have progressed to become a platinum partner.”
ANS Group also won the award for marketing excellence for its campaign for Infrastructure 3.0 – an innovation that reduces physical servers through virtualisation, creating systems that are truly unified in a stateless and fluid architecture.
Sweeney continued: “It has been a great year for ANS Group and these awards are particularly special as it is testament to the hard work that has made Infrastructure 3.0 such a success, as demonstrated by some fantastic contract wins such as Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.”
The NetApp judges said: "In their first full year of partnership with NetApp, ANS has grown to Platinum Partner status, driving exceptional growth in NetApp sales. The company has built credibility by investing in technical, sales and professional services accreditations. These high levels of commitment and effort have been well received by the NetApp sales team and the market."
ANS Group also won VMware Partner of the Year award in December and was ranked 9th in The Sunday Times Best Small Companies to Work For 2010.
EU patent system stunting growth of UK’s SME technology companies
Despite the UK technology market being one of the country’s most important sectors, it has been suggested that the EU patent system is preventing SMEs from growing as quickly as their American and Asian counterparts, says patent and trade mark firm Mathys and Squire LLP.
The EU does not have a single unified patent, meaning that once a patent is granted, it must generally be validated, translated and annually renewed in all countries where a protection is needed. Consequently, it can cost much more to get protection in the EU than in America or Asia, depending on how many countries are involved.
Recent reduction of validation requirements has reduced ultimate grant costs in the EU, but conversely other recent and proposed fee increases are bringing forward costs at a bad time for technology innovators and the economy.
As well as adding to the cost of innovation among the UK’s technology companies, the system also, in effect, discourages investment into the EU. Some overseas companies are taking the view that the cost of obtaining protection in Europe for a given product is unjustified. Ultimately this could result in an overall cut back in investment in developing the product for Europe.
Ilya Kazi, partner at Mathys and Squire, commented: “Some commentators have recently suggested that instituting a single Community Patent is the solution. It is true that the lack of a unified patent system is a factor why Europe’s technology SMEs fail to grow as quickly as companies elsewhere in the world, particularly the US.”
“SMEs should not wait on the arrival of the Community patent – there are many isssues to consider, and who knows how long it will take to come to pass. Patents are potentially of huge value commercially and should be an important part of a business’ ongoing strategy. With the right advice and a little creativity, companies can obtain practical protection within the confines of the existing legal situation within an appropriate budget and in line with ongoing strategy.”
mwl commended for its effective management
North Wales based independent technology solutions specialist, mwl, has been awarded the ISO 9001:2008 and commended for its high level of customer satisfaction and the quality and efficacy of its management system.
mwl conducted extensive audits of its Quality Management Processes in order to gain the internationally recognised certification. The audit, which was completed by external independent assessor, Lloyds Register, allowed the company to assess the quality of its customer service.
Maintained by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), the certification thoroughly assesses various aspects of the business, including the quality and efficiency of its processes.
Patrick Kingsley Williams, managing director of mwl, commented: “In the current climate it is essential that businesses are operating as efficiently as possible, taking care to ensure that all internal practices and guidelines within the business are being followed by all employees. The ISO standard is a great way to assess whether this is, in fact, up to scratch.
“We are delighted that we have been able to achieve the standard and are especially pleased with the commendations we received for our customer satisfaction measurement.”
