Press Release: 15.05.09

15th May 2009
Top Tory guest at local “Enterprise for Women” forum

Top Tory, Theresa May MP, was guest speaker at an “Enterprise for Women” forum held this week in the Blue Town Heritage Centre in Sheerness.

Mrs May, who is the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, and Shadow Minister for Women, was invited to the forum by local Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Gordon Henderson. There to support the event and to let the local businesses know what support is available and what is planned locally, were Business Link’s North Kent Enterprise Gateway and SEEDA (South East England Development Agency).

Mr Henderson, who introduced Mrs May and then shared the stage with her during a lively question and answer session, invited her to the Island so that she could hear first hand the type of problems facing small companies in the current recession, particularly those businesses being run my women.

Other speakers at the forum were Jenny Hurkett who owns the Heritage Centre and who is campaigning to raise the profile of Sheppey and what the Island has to offer; Melodie Webster, Director of the North Kent Enterprise Gateway, who encourage people to think about self-employment or starting their own businesses and then support them through the process; and Katie Lloyd, SEEDA’s Area Manager for Kent and Medway who spoke about some of the other projects available to help women in enterprise.

Mr Henderson said:

‘I invited Theresa to the forum because I wanted her to hear at first hand some of the problems that local businesses are facing in their battle to survive the current recession.

‘Theresa made a point of not making a long speech instead she spent most of the time allocated to her answering questions. It was quite clear that she was more interested in finding out what a future Tory Government could do to help small businesses in general and women in particular.

‘Theresa was very impressed both with the enthusiasm of the business women who took part if the forum, and the professional way in which Heather Thomas-Pugh (Sheppey Outreach worker for the Enterprise Gateway) and Jenny Hurkett had organised the event. Well done to everybody involved!’