Winner - Entrepreneur with a Conscience 2008

I was very excited to be named the winner of the Make your Mark/handbag.com Entrepreneur with a Conscience award. The award recognises an entrepreneur who has combined the principles of a successful business with an emphasis on addressing issues concerning society and the environment. The list of finalists for the award was very impressive, including Safia Minney of People Tree, and I was really surprised when John Bird, founder of the Big Issue, read out my name.

I was presented with a beautiful necklace from La Diosa by Carrie Grant (Fame Academy). Coincidentally, back in the late 80s I once operated a spotlight on Carrie's husband David Grant during one of his concerts which is probably one of the hardest jobs I have ever had in my life! I will also receive exclusive one-to-one mentoring and advice from Margaret Heffernan – famed chief executive, author and star of The Secret Millionaire.

Make Your Mark is the national campaign to unlock the UK’s enterprise potential. I hope that winning this award will provide me with a platform from which to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to work more ethically.