Keeping the Small Business Saturday momentum going!
December 4, 2018
Good things come in 3s!
December 13, 2018
I am delighted to announce that the ‘Empowering Armed Forces Widows Through Enterprise’ Programme run by X-Forces Enterprise and hosted by NatWest was a finalist at the Financial Innovation Awards. We were shortlisted for the ‘Best financial inclusion or outreach initiative’ and are so proud to announce that WE WON!
We could not have done this without the collaborative efforts of Forces Pension Society Charitable Fund, NatWest and of course the Navy, Army, RAF & War Widows Associations. NatWest we thank you wholeheartedly for putting this nomination forward and the foresight in knowing what a big difference this would make in shining the light on this amazing cohort of deserving individuals.
The category recognised the difficulties in accessing financial basic services for certain groups and the resulting loss in opportunity for those communities. This encapsulates the core motivation behind our desire to create such a programme: we wanted to ensure our Armed Forces widows, widowers and dependents were not deprived of the opportunity to realise their entrepreneurial and enterprise ambitions for both self-employment and employment community inclusion.
‘Being winners for this award is so special to us, not only because this was the first programme of its kind, but because of the inspirational individuals we were able to support and their determination, dedication and positivity throughout the whole course. Such recognition provides great encouragement for us at X-Forces Enterprise to continue ensuring all members of the Armed Forces community are able to benefit from the same level of support and are empowered to take the next step, whatever that may be for them.”
Attending the Awards on behalf of the Army Widows, Vice Chair Rachel Prosser said:
“I feel privileged to be amongst people who are so giving and so concerned about our welfare. When you lose someone you feel such loss. It’s incredible to know others understand and share your loss. Somebody has taken a real interest in what we are going through and has done something about it. X-Forces are giving something back – helping us find purpose and direction in life”
Ren Kapur & Rachel Prosser
Lady Philippa Dannatt MBE, Patron of the Army Widows Association said:
‘The devastating impact which losing a family member in the Armed Forces has on family members is profound and often all-consuming. The ‘Empowering Armed Forces Widows Through Enterprise’ programme gives those families the opportunity, support and encouragement to pursue their own aspirations and gives them a new challenge to focus on.’
We could not have asked for a better first cohort and are already looking forward to the next programme in 2019. If you are interested in applying for the next programme, please email anne@x-forces.com or call us on 0207 811 3969.
To read more about the original programme, please see: https://www.renkapur.com/2018/11/10/first-widows-programme-hailed-an-overwhelming-success/
