The Flagship Award
The Flagship Awards are a best practice standard for excellence in women's enterprise development. They aim to help organisations to identify, measure and improve their services for women looking to start and grow businesses. The standards have been developed and are administered by Prowess. For further details about the Flagship Award and the newly developed 'Commitment to Flagship' email Sue Lawton at s.lawton@prowess.org.uk
The following organisations have achieved the Prowess Flagship Award
Business support providers
Account 3
Account 3 delivers a very comprehensive programme of women's business support in the East End of London. Their particular strengths include a clear and deep commitment to serving the diverse community in which they are based.The offices provide a fantastic visual impact of success stories of women from all ethnic groups and backgrounds and business types and the informal networking provided by the food coop day and open days provide real exposure of local women to the possibilities for self employment or further traning that Account 3 can offer them. Account 3 operates in the East End of London
T: 020 7739 7720
Beta Technology's South Yorkshire Female Entrepreneurs Network programme
Beta Technology delivers an excellent range of women's networking and mentoring opportunities through their delivery of the South Yorkshire Female Entrepreneurs Network, part of the wider Advancing Women in South Yorkshire Project. Their particular strengths are large scale high quality networking events and a mentoring programme that closely matches mentors and mentees which together have helped to raise the profile of female entrepreneurs in the region.
T: 01302 322633
Bolton Business Ventures
BBV offers a full range of business support services to women wishing to start a business or who are already in business. This inlcudes business advice, networking, seminars, business skills training, loan funds, business incubation and mentoring. BBV operates in the North Manchester area, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan.
T: 01204 391400
Bolton Metro's Ethnic Minorities Business Service
Operating in the borough of Bolton, the Ethnic Minority Business Service provides tailored and targeted support for black and minority ethnic (BME) clients. For the past six years an officer has been employed to specifically target the needs of BME women. Services are delivered in a culturally sensitive and relevant manner and can help women to develop a business idea, raise finance and develop skills. The multilingual advice and support programme includes seminars on pre-enterprise training, self-employment awareness, business development, book-keeping and taxation and ICT programmes. A free creche can be provided for under 5's. Women who are already running a business can recieve advice on expanding a business, breaking new markets, raising finance and pursuing international trade.
T: 01204 336150
Business Link for Hertfordshire's New Horizons (Inspiring Success for Women) programme
Offering a comprehensive range of women friendly support. Their Business Planning Workshop is aimed at women starting or running a business who need to put together a business plan. Guidance is also provided to help women develop their self-esteem, confidence and assertiveness. A tailored one-to-one support service is available for women managers. Good links with Business Link Herts. Operates across Hertfordshire.
T: 01727 813538
W: www.exemplas.com/newhorizons
Business Link Wessex
Business Link Wessex provides affordable advice and support across Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight to people who are thinking of starting a business and new and established businesses.
Our Women into Business programme delivered by women for women consists of Awareness Events, Personal Development Workshops, Enterprise Training programmes and networks aims to provide women with the skills, knowledge, motivation and confidence to start their own business. The initial Awareness Event is free and enables women to exchange ideas and ask questions in order to assess the realities, risks and benefits of starting a business.
Assistance is available with travel and pre-school childcare costs and timings are school friendly. We use user-friendly, community based venues which are easily reached by public transport and provide access to people with disabilities.
Our Start-Up Programme was awarded Prowess Flagship status in November 2005.
T: 08454 58 85 58
E: advice@businesslinkwessex.co.uk
W: www.businesslinkwessex.co.uk/women
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Chwarae Teg (Fair Play)
Chwarae Teg's remit is to provide pre-enterprise support to women (and in the case of the Lone parent's project, to lone parents of both genders) and to avoid duplication of existing services and provide appropriate and effective referrals to mainstream business support providers. In doing this Chwarae Teg provide a range of regular face to face business services, ranging from initial one to one interviews to pre-enterprise workshops, to training sessions on specific topics, or aimed at specific sectors.
T: 029 20 478 900
Enterprise Enfield
Enterprise Enfield is a not for profit, DTI approved enterprise agency offering a range of women friendly business support services. Seminars specifically designed and delivered by women for women include Assertiveness, Time Management, Conflict Management and Starting Right in Business for Women. One-to-one advice and guidance sessions are available with expert female or male Advisers covering a whole range of business issues including: Business Planning, Raising Finance, Marketing, Managing Accounts etc. Enterprise Enfield has been awarded the Customer First and Matrix standards for quality business support and is also an Investor in People.
T: 020 8443 5457
Her Business
Her Business provides a fully comprehensive range of regular business support services ranging from one to one coaching support, pre-enterprise training programmes, monthly business training workshops to networking opportunities and electronic newsletters. 
T: 01768 210997
Incredit
Incredit delivers an excellent range of business support services to a wide client group, recognising that flexible services, community based outreach, quality provision and client focused services will make a real impact on currently under-represented group. A range of services and resources including microfinance, business incubation and 1-2-1 business advice are provided through their Business in Prisons programme, workshops focussed on enterprise development in 5 women's prisons are currently being delivered.
T: 01438 794438
QSA - Street Cred
Quaker Social Action's Street Cred project provides comprehensive, multi-lingual micro-credit and business support for women starting up in business. Groups of women are enabled to work together to provide a peer support and business development opportunities with support from Street Cred staff.
Street Cred operates across the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
T: 0207 729 9267
Click here to download the Street Cred case study card
Rural Women's Network (Voluntary Action Cumbria)
RWN delivers an excellent standard of services to its rural client base in Cumbria. As well as offering comprehensive networking opportunities, they deliver a full and very comprehensive programme of business support services. The team is committed to providing all clients with opportunities to access their services, taking care to ensure that clients from different backgrounds and with different access needs are catered for.
T: 01768 21099
Sheffield Community Enterprise Development Unit's (SCEDU) Making a Difference Programme
'Making a Difference' is a programme developed by SCEDU, aimed at women who want to start their own business or develop management skills within community organisations. For women wanting to start a business SCEDU offer business training, one-to-one business advice and aftercare training sessions. For women in management roles a 20 day course is offered which includes mentoring, workshops, networking and a residential programme.
T: 0114 201 5260
Slough Enterprise Gateway
Slough Enterprise Gateway provides local business support to a wide range of start-ups, sole traders to limited companies trading up to 3 years. They cover all business sectors, giving advice, creating networking opportunities and providing incubtation space. Other activities include workshops covering issues from business planning to data protection, maketing and sales and assertiveness. Empowerment events for women are run to inspire women and help develop their self-esteem.
Slough Business Women's Network has been set up to help support and train women into networking.
Contact Nina Sian, Slough Enterprise Gateway Director. 
T: 01753 610043
E: juliana.monserrate@blbw.co.uk
W: www.sloughenterprisegateway.co.uk
Success Matrix 
Success Matrix delivers holistic business solutions across the East Midlands, to businesses of all sizes. We support and encourage women to achieve their personal and economic potential in business. Whether you are an established business looking to grow, or a young venture taking the early steps to achieve your dream, we have the skills and expertise to help you.
Our mainstream training and business support is complemented by some women-only support – including Business Women's Link, our Prowess Flagship Award winning network. We keep abreast of, and contribute to, the latest research, information and opportunties and are always seeking new ways to support women in business.
Visit our website www.successmatrix.co.uk to check out our women’s zone and our four specialist divisions covering the wide areas of business services we offer. You can also contact us by phone, fax or email. We have a team of friendly, knowledgeable and experienced people who are ready to help you. For more information email julie.clark@successmatrix.co.uk
Train 2000
Train 2000 develops and delivers a range of high quality innovative business support measures throughout Merseyside. It works with a cross section of the community, particularly with women, disables people and minority communities. Train 2000 offers free, women-only pre-enterprise training, business training courses, workshops and business counselling and operates a business loan fund. It can also help with childcare and travel costs for training.
T: 0151 236 6601
Click here to download the Train 2000 case study card
WEETU
WEETU strives to help women deal with economic change and to develop and extend women's access to quality employment, education and training opportunities. It offers an extensive range of free business support, training and advice programmes throughout Norfolk and operates a pioneering microcredit loan fund.
T: 01603 767367
Women's Business Development Agency
The Women's Business Development Agency (WBDA) provides free, women-only, pre-start up, start up and ixisting business training. Its strengths include a particularly dedicated and committed team of female business support staff, who are specialised in accessing and retaining hard to reach groups and communities. It can help with childcare and travel costs for training. 
T: 02476 236 111
Mission Possible Ltd 
Mission Possible helps individuals and organisations across Europe to achieve the "seemingly impossible". Our services include motivational presentations, executive coaching, books and workshops on motivation,entrepreneurship and leadership.
We run a county website resource for women in Oxfordshire www.oxfordshirewomen.co.uk who wish to start up in business or are already early-stage entrepreneurs and need help to run their business and their lives.
We also founded the Faringdon Businesswomen's Networking Group www.faringdonwomen.co.uk based in Oxfordshire which was awarded Prowess Flagship status in January 2006. 
It meets monthly and is a friendly network with a strong business focus
Email info@missionpossible.co.uk
Website www.missionpossible.co.uk
Phone 01367 244855
W:ISE Programme at the University of Salford
The W:ISE Programme offers monthly training sessions on a variety of different topics aimed at helping take the business forward. Topics covered include business start-up, sales, marketing, business planning, finance for non-finance managers, PR and presentation skills. Larger networking events are organised every few months with keynote speakers and the chance to expand your network. The Programme is open to all women, those thinking of setting up in business, to those already running their business.
The Programme is funded by the European Social Fund therefore all events are free of charge. Certain regions are not covered: Merseyside, Wales, Scotland, South Yorkshire, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Also those who work within public sector organisations are not eligible.
T: 0161 295 3000
WIISE (Women Involved in Successful Enterprise)
Managed by Derbyshire Chamber and Business Link, WIISE is a network for women in business that operates across Derbyshire. It aims to help all women in Derbyshire - including those in the early stages of running a business, as well as owners and managers in established businesses - make new contacts through regular events. The events are designed to make the optimum use of networking opportunities over a meal in a relaxed and informal setting and in the company of inspirational and motivational speakers. The network has grown to an active and enthusiastic 150 women from all types of businesses, experiences and backgrounds. One thing they have in common is the desire to improve - to move their businesses forward through effective networking and new practices.
T: 0845 601 1035
E: theresa.mcdermott@derbyshire.org
Women in Enterprise (Northern Ireland)
Women in Enterprise is a network membership organisation committed to excellence in the delivery of business support services to women starting or growing their business. The Women in Enterprise Network facilitate regular contact with over 1800 individuals, groups and organisational members and our major new project for 2006 is to establish BWN NI – Business Women’s Network Northern Ireland - a project that will bring together all other existing networks of women in business across Northern Ireland to provide members with an increased opportunity to improve networking opportunities and business skills. Our support services also includes the GROW Micro-Enterprise Loan Fund ( loans from £500-£10,000), the GROW (Growing Real Opportunities for Women) Business Series and Mentor Training and Matching
T: 028 7136 6967
Women's Business Networks
Women Into Rural Enterprise
WIRE is a dynamic and committed network offering very good services to its members. At a national level they provide a good level of service and in those areas where funding allows for a dedicated local officer, provide an excellent range of networking opportunities. Over the past twelve months activities in local areas have expanded rapidly, allowing a more extensive coverage of local events in locations across the UK.
T: 01952 815338
Women Into the Network (WIN)
Women Into the Network (WIN) is a networking initiative based at Durham Business School, which facilitates the development of women's businesses. This project integrates women into existing and new business networks and bridges the gap between providers of business and professional support. WIN's activities include communications and publications, networking events, awards and role model promotion and research. Individually each area provides distinct benefits to members in terms of gaining knowledge, skills and contacts specific to their needs. An EU commissioned survey has recognised the success of WIN by selecting it as the UK best practice initiative for promoting female entrepreneurship.
Tel: 0191 334 5502
Fax: 0191 334 5144
Email: info@networkingwomen.co.uk
Website: http://www.womenintothenetwork.co.uk