Last updated at 10:27, Friday, 09 November 2012

The judging line-up is now complete for this year’s Local Business Accelerators competition.

A leading finance expert and advertising executive will both help decide who the winners on the scheme – backed by The Cumberland News – should be.

Grant Smith, a partner with leading accountancy firm Armstrong Watson in Carlisle, will be on the panel. The company is one of the competition’s backers.

Meanwhile, Charlie Birrell, advertisement director of Cumbrian Newspapers, completes the line-up.

They are joined by judges already announced – Katie Milbourn, director of the multi-award winning Walby Farm Park attraction near Carlisle, Chris Reay, managing director of Wigton-based Reays Coaches, Charles Watt, finance director with Penrith-based Cranstons Quality Butchers, and Michele Lawty-Jones, enterprise and business relations manager at the University of Cumbria.

All will use their extensive business experience to choose winners of the LBA competition, going on to mentor them with expert advice.

The LBA nationally offers £15 million of free advertising and mentoring to promising enterprises.

The Cumberland News is backing the local drive, led by the Newspaper Society and fronted by Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden. Businesses have until November 16 to enter and must be between one and five years old.

Six local winners will each benefit from £10,000 of free advertising in the newspaper and its sister publications, the News & Star, Whitehaven News and Times & Star, as well as mentoring from the judges.

First published at 10:25, Friday, 09 November 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk