Inspirational entrepreneurs from across the UK, who have triumphed over personal adversity to successfully establish their own business, have been named their regions' Top 10 in the 2008 Barclays Trading Places Awards.

The government backed Awards, presented in association with The Prince's Trust, the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies, The Sun, JobCentrePlus, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Microsoft, feature practical examples of people who have taken control of their lives by deciding to go it alone.

 

Press Statement:

Fish and Anchor Leisure, Evesham, Worcestershire
After many years working as a financial consultant, Luke Brittain decided to fulfil a lifelong dream of being his own boss and running a pub.

Luke came from a family publican's and knew the trade well. So, making use of his contacts and using all of his personal savings, in June 2007 he bought the Fish & Anchor.

He worked night and day to get the pub and its adjoining caravan site up and running. But just one month later, disaster struck!

Like many people in Evesham, Luke's life was submerged underwater and devastated by the 2007 summer floods. All of the building materials for the renovation project were destroyed and the cellar was completely full of contaminated water.

Luke had previously been full of optimism but was now left with costs spiralling out of control. Furthermore, it was the middle of the caravanning season and many of his customers lost their vans – most of who were not insured.

Not being ready to give up on his dream, Luke decided to see this as an opportunity to completely redesign the pub. Following lots more hard work and investment, the Fish & Anchor reopened its doors in March 2008 and has been successfully trading ever since.

 

Luke Brittain receiving his award.