Cornwall entrepreneur shortlisted for National Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2017

Cornwall based entrepreneur, Nikki Markham, has won through from over 200 entries to become one of the five finalists in this year’s Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She now has a chance, through a public vote, to win £10,000 for her organisation.

Nikki Markham is the founder of Battling On, a social enterprise which support veterans to reintegrate into civilian life. The veterans are trained as mentors and instructors to support vulnerable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and adults with disabilities. The veterans help these individuals develop employment and personal skills through an innovative multi-award-winning approach, which combines vocational training, numeracy, literacy and work experience gained through volunteering on local community-based projects.

Nikki said “This nomination isn’t just about me, it’s about the whole team. Winning the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2017 would have a significant impact on Battling On. Being based in the rural South West we have very poor transport networks. We would use the prize money to buy a community bus to support our volunteering initiatives, and to enable us to reach the elderly and vulnerable within our community who are suffering from social isolation.”

Of the School for Social Entrepreneurs programme, Nikki said “Being on the Lloyds Bank Social Entrepreneurs Programme, in partnership with School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), has helped me to increase the social impact of Battling On with the support of a comprehensive learning programme, business mentor and grant. We are the first organisation from the Cornwall SSE to get to the final, and we hope that everyone in the south-west will get behind us.”

To vote for Nikki and Battling On you can visit our website www.battling-on.com and click on the VOTE NIKKI button. You can also free text SEYA17 NIKKI to 82228. If you vote online and by text both votes count and are free