We are award winning!

Press Release - May 2024

Melton Mowbray-based business, Woodcote Events Ltd, has been named as the winner of the Rural StartUp at the Midlands StartUp Awards 2024.

Established in 2021, Woodcote Events Ltd was originally born out of co-founder Gareth's passion to create premium motorcycle tour and track experiences across the world, having spent several years as Global Events Manager at Triumph Motorcycles.

Skip back a few years to 2019, when Gareth suffered a near fatal motorcycle accident, causing life changing injuries. It was this milestone in life, along with the COVID lockdowns, that got Gareth thinking about his future and he began to shape this vision. Unfortunately, when the business was in its early infancy, Gareth suffered another motorcycle accident in April 2022. It was then that a decision was made to change direction and redefine the business, officially transitioning into an events and marketing agency in May 2022.

Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength, securing work with automotive manufacturers and industry-related businesses including Ducati, Royal Enfield, Triumph Motorcycles, BSA Motorcycles, and MotoGirl, to name a few.

Gareth runs Woodcote Events with his co-Director and wife, Jo Artherton. With a firm marketing and events background within the leisure and tourism sector, Jo brings a wealth of experience to the table, so it was clear from the outset that together they had a powerful blend of skills, expertise and knowledge to create a dynamic, forward-thinking business.

Gareth says: “We are absolutely delighted to be awarded this recognition for all our hard work in building the business, from what was a very challenging start. As a startup, we ask our potential clients to take a risk by placing their trust in us. However, our proven track record of past career achievements has positioned us well to secure work from some amazing clients.

Regarding being in a rural setting, Jo says: “Working in a rural environment is our perfect idea of a work life balance. Being located where we are, we have great links with some of the UK’s major cities and industry hubs. We hope that by winning this award we are demonstrating that we are committed to building and developing a successful business.”

Jo Artherton and Gareth Bright.

The UK StartUp Awards were established to highlight the success of startups across ten UK nations and regions, including the Midlands, and to celebrate the achievements of entrepreneurs in all sectors of the economy.

Supported nationally by Starling Bank, Airwallex, Chime Agency, Development Bank of Wales, EvaBuild, ForrestBrown, GiftRound, GS1 UK, Join Talent, OVHcloud, Project Simply, ScoreApp, SFC Capital and Welsh Government, Harriet Rees, CIO at Starling Bank says:

“Turning an idea into a successful business takes a lot of courage and dedication. Congratulations to Woodcote Events on winning their category in the Midlands and making it to this year’s UK national final. Start-ups need certainty to plan ahead. It’s great to see so many thrive, especially in these challenging economic times.”

Over 114,000 new firms were created in the Midlands in 2023 and according to Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, creator of the awards, this demonstrates the growing importance of entrepreneurs to the regional economy. He is also excited that the awards are, yet again, recognising the best new firms and celebrating the amazing entrepreneurial talent from every corner of the region.

He said: “Start-ups are the life of any economy and that is especially true in the Midlands where new businesses are contributing to job creation, innovation, and prosperity across the whole of this entrepreneurial region. It’s been an honour and a pleasure to read the stories of those founders who have spotted the opportunity and taken the risk to launch their own venture. All of the winners have demonstrated that they deserve to win their categories and I’m looking forward to having the ‘best of the best’ from the Midlands competing at the UK final later this year”

As a regional winner in their category, Woodcote Events will now progress to the UK Startup Awards final being held at Ideas Fest on September 12th, dubbed ‘the Glastonbury for Entrepreneurs’

- EDITOR NOTES -

UK StartUp Awards

The UK StartUp Awards is run by the founders of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards (an established programme nationally receiving thousands of applications annually and the UK Fast Growth 50 Index (which recognises the fastest growing firms across the nations and regions of the UK).

The UK StartUp Awards recognises the achievements of those amazing individuals who have had a great idea, spotted the opportunity and taken the risks to launch a new product or service. There are over 30 categories that can be entered ranging from consumer products to mobile technologies to social enterprises, demonstrating the depth and variety of entrepreneurial talent in the UK

After extending across the whole of the United Kingdom last year, all of the category winners from each ten nations and regions at the UK national final on September 12th 2024, at Ideas Fest (www.ideasfest.uk)

Full details of all the category winners can be found at www.startupawards.uk