The Lincolnshire Technology Hubs in Mablethorpe, Horncastle, Boston, Louth and Lincoln are running a series of events offering school children and businesses the chance to find out more about digital technology.

The events, which will include a schools Dragons’ Den style competition, will be held during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) from 17^th to 23rd November.

Lincolnshire County Council, which set up the hubs as part of its onlincolnshire project, hopes that the events will raise awareness of the equipment and its benefits as well as the hubs themselves.

“This year the theme for Global Entrepreneurship Week in the UK is Get Connected,” explained Councillor Colin Davie, “which is one of the reasons why we are so keen to get involved.

“The aim of onlincolnshire is to encourage better connections between people, services, communities and places and help businesses stay up to date with the latest technology. The hubs are a fantastic facility for both long-standing businesses and budding entrepreneurs who are thinking of setting up on their own. We’re also keen to encourage more schools and community groups to use them.

“I hope people will see these events as an opportunity to visit the hubs, find out what’s on offer and network with other like-minded business, making connections that will strengthen their businesses now and in the future.”

During the week, the Mablethorpe Technology Hub will also celebrate its recent move to the Mablethorpe Business Centre. Guests to the official launch of the hub at the centre on the Golf Road Industrial Estate on 21^st November will be able to see lots of the hub’s equipment in action including a 3D printer, laser cutter, scanner, UV printer and vacuum forming machine.

In the afternoon the Mablethorpe hub will also be hosting a Dragons’ Den style competition involving pupils from Monks’ Dyke Tennyson College in Mablethorpe and Louth and Andy Harsley from Rapstrap who will be on the judging panel.

To secure your place at any of the events below please call 0300 80 80 120 or email onlincolnshire@lincs-chamber.co.uk.

For more information on the Lincolnshire Technology Hubs please visit http://www.onlincolnshire.org and to find out about Global Entrepreneurship Week, please visit http://www.gew.org.uk.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

About onlincolnshire

• onlincolnshire is a Lincolnshire County Council-run project which is part-funded by the East Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013.

• In March 2013, the council signed a £48 million contract with BT to provide superfast broadband to at least 88% of county properties by 2016, with the remaining properties having access to at least of 2Mbps broadband. A further investment of £2.8 million was announced in February 2014 which has increased the number of properties to 89%.

• The contract with BT concentrates on an intervention area of over 150,000 premises where existing or planned commercial roll outs would not deliver superfast speeds.

• The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.communities.gov.uk/erdf

• Some internet users in rural Lincolnshire experience speeds of less than 1 Mbps. The UK’s average broadband speed is 12 Mbps, according to Ofcom.

About Global Entrepreneurship Week

• Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship. Each year it plays a critical role in encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs to consider starting up their own business.

• In the UK the campaign is hosted by Youth Business International, a global network of initiatives that help young entrepreneurs to start their own business, in partnership with Barclays.

• Youth Business International believes that a large national campaign to promote entrepreneurship is a vital part of making the UK more entrepreneurial, to encourage more people to start up their own business.

• Its aim is to create a collaborative, local and practical week which enables people to learn more about the wealth of support that is available to entrepreneurs in the UK.

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Kate Strawson
Shooting Star PR
kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk
01522 528540
@KateStrawson