Events

Sparkler workshop – House of St Barnabas

The second Sparkler workshop was held on June 30 to continue building the momentum, in the beautiful surroundings of the House of St Barnabas-in-Soho (one of the Spark 09 winners). And build it did. The passion and ideas flowed all day long, and despite there being a basic programme outline, we soon veered off into valuable discussions about entrepreneurship, the loneliness of starting enterprises and much more. The team has bonded and relationships have forged that will last a lifetime. Sparkler Jimmy said “before, people would put down my ideas, but here I’m challenged to build on them and think bigger.” Davina said “one of the best things about being a Sparkler is that I everyone involves sees my worth, I don't think I ever appreciated the work I’ve put into this venture, this has allowed me to evaluate it in a different light.”

With 5 more months to go who knows what stage the enterprises will have reached by the end of the programme!

Sparkler Roundtable

A roundtable discussion was held on June 29 for applicants who did not reach the finalist stage, which discussed their applications and how these could be improved the following year, as well as a discussion of current challenges they faced in implementing their enterprise.

Sparklers launch event

The Sparklers launch took place on June 17th and 18th at Highpoint Conference Centre in Leicester as part of the Spark Investment event. After receiving more than 20 applications from across the country, 7 winners were selected - a very tough choice considering the standard of ideas and applications.

Over the next day and a half, the Sparklers met and integrated with the Spark partners and finalists, started working on their personal action plans for the next 6 months and attended a variety of workshops, including a presentation from the Patrick Butler, editor of society, health and education policy for the Guardian on using the press to their advantage. The event culminated with the Sparklers pitching their business ideas to the rest of the Spark winners. The difference between these and the practise pitches the previous day was remarkable and everyone in the audience was bowled over by their passion and commitment. Following the event, Derby based Sparkler, Micheal said:

“I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I couldn't sleep with all the thoughts. I don't know how to explain how I am still feeling right now. I know it’s a cliché, but it still seems surreal. I am still feeling the rush of adrenalin. The happy memories I have already stored up from the Sparklers programme, from the event in Leicester and the many new people I met will serve to remind me that I am not alone but part of a growing body of people working towards a shared goal. The event in Leicester was amazing! Hopefully I will get some sleep tonight and stop thinking for a brief while. Then again, if the diamonds in the sky sparkle tonight like they did last night I am surely going to find it difficult to rest with all the excitement of the past few days. The smile remains, simple evidence of happiness.”

All sorts of relationships were formed over the event, including linking James Connelly of Suitcase media with BT (it’s good to talk), Davina of Punch and Juicy with Chef Simon Boyle and between the Sparklers themselves.

If you have any questions about Sparklers please contact us on: 0116 2994466 or howard@sparkchallenge.org.uk.