Three outstanding entrepreneurs from across the UK have been short listed for a prestigious award for disabled business people.

The competition, the Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs in the UK - 2010, is now in its fourth year. In partnership with the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability the Award is sponsored by easyGroup Chairman Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou through the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.  

The winner of the Award will receive the £50,000 prize at the Growing Business Awards, to be held in London on 25 November 2010. They will also benefit from specialist support courtesy of the Foundation's Stelios Scholar Reach-out Programme.

Finalists:

Vanessa Heywood, a 41-year-old mother of two with Multiple Sclerosis, owns Tiny Mites Music Limited. The company is one of the UK's leading providers of music, movement and drama classes for babies, toddlers and pre-school children.  She says: “I used to perform in musicals and plays as diverse as West Side Story, Twelfth Night and Elvis. Music is a passion for me; it is the family business. My father, a professional trombonist who toured with Frank Sinatra, taught me never to give up, to strive for perfection, to reach the impossible.  “The idea of writing new, inspiring, interactive music for young children came to me in 2004. I wanted to connect with really young children with new, fun material that could cultivate a life-long love of music.”

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Andrew Kent, a 53-year-old garage owner, has been shortlisted for his innovative and philanthropic business, Andy’s Kars, which has a strong commitment to employing or providing training to disabled or disadvantaged people. Andrew has epilepsy and arthritis and has had both of his knees replaced. When he was just 26 he survived a massive brain haemorrhage which left him with significant weakness on his right side.  He says: “Due to ill health during my childhood I left school barely being able to read and write my own name. I then spent most of my adult life going from job to job, so I’m determined to help others to avoid the same situation. Starting this business has been about encouraging young people to focus on ability, not disability, and showing them that if you want something and believe in the dream you can achieve it.”

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Rob Smith, 35, who suffered a spinal cord injury after falling 40 feet down a cliff, has invented a gripping aid which allows disabled people to firmly hold a wide variety of items - such as hammers, remote controls and sports equipment.  He says: “In July 1996 I fell down a cliff whilst on holiday with friends. I sustained a spinal cord injury which meant that I had to start using a wheelchair and my hand function was severely limited.  “The Active Hands Company started out when I asked my Mum to make a gripping aid I had designed to help me grip weights to do a workout. After a few prototypes we had a version which worked well. A few of my friends from wheelchair rugby saw me using the aid and asked for some to be made for them. After a few months we decided to start our own company.”

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Sir Stelios says: “I would like to congratulate the finalists for reaching the shortlist of this year’s Award and I am truly impressed by their entrepreneurial passion and dedication.  We had a record number of excellent applications for this year's Award which is a testament to the achievements of entrepreneurs with disabilities.  “I am passionate about encouraging entrepreneurship through the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, working in partnership with Leonard Cheshire Disability on this Award. With around 50 per cent of disabled adults out of work, removing the barriers disabled people face in business is essential. Self employment is often the only viable option for many disabled people as it offers flexibility and helps bypass much of the prejudice that, sadly, still exists.  “I look forward to awarding the prize to this year’s winner and seeing how they plan to grow their business.”

Zuhura Plummer, Corporate Partnerships Officer at Leonard Cheshire Disability, says: “Disabled people in business experience disadvantage and discrimination every day largely through ignorance - this must change.  “To be shortlisted the finalists had to prove that they are dynamic, driven and that their businesses are destined to be a success. 

“Leonard Cheshire Disability leads the way with innovative initiatives and campaigns that challenge people to change the way they see disability. Our partnership with the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is helping the charity highlight the barriers disabled people face in the workplace and recognise the outstanding achievements of disabled entrepreneurs.”

The Stelios Philanthropic Foundation is committed to dynamic philanthropy: making a positive, exponential difference through funding, inspiring and advising educational, entrepreneurial and environmental initiatives.Through the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, Stelios has pledged £3m for 200 scholarships over ten years at the London School of Economics and London City University Cass Business School. The three finalists for Stelios' Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs will benefit from on-the-ground assistance with their businesses from the Stelios Scholar Reach Out Programme. Supervised by two faculty members from both LSE and Cass, three teams of Stelios Scholars will dedicate 10 hours of their time in a period of three months to assist each finalist.