Herefordshire Council is heading for Downing Street to find out whether the county is the overall winner of the 2008 Enterprising Britain awards.
Herefordshire was named Enterprise Capital of the West Midlands in June this year because the county's economic prospects have been transformed. Despite the credit crunch, many high quality jobs continue to be created, together with community and economic projects that have made a difference to people's quality of life.
Judges for the competition have already visited Herefordshire in the summer and met people who run local businesses and organisations that have worked to develop skills and training. They saw a new culture of enterprise that has been created in the county.
Herefordshire is battling against 11 other places from across the UK in a bid to be crowned overall winner of Enterprising Britain 2008 on 16 October 2008.
If named the Enterprising Capital of Britain, Herefordshire would go on to compete with the best of Europe by representing the UK in the prestigious European Enterprise Awards.
Natalia Silver, head of economic and community services at Herefordshire Council, said: "As with any regeneration, there is a combination of factors that have to work together to create success. Our role as a local authority is to pull those factors together".
"One of those factors is recognising the opportunities and strengths of being a rural area. The county is well placed to attract the small to medium entrepreneurial businesses that recognise that being based in the countryside does not have to be a barrier to growth, and can add to quality of life for employees. In short, a perfect business and lifestyle mix. The county is also capitalising on the growing interest and practice in environmental technologies, due to the accessibility of natural resources, and there is strong growth too in the creative sector".
There are over 500 creative industry businesses in the county and a programme of support for this sector has seen average profits increase by 314 per cent between 2002 and 2007.
Councillor Adrian Blackshaw, cabinet member for economic development and community services, is keen to stress that the achievements are not down to one organisation.
"No one organisation can work alone, especially in a county like Herefordshire where to punch above our weight we need to combine forces. There is an incredibly positive relationship with Advantage West Midlands and with their Rural Regeneration Zone, who have taken the leap of faith to recognise that the rural areas can add significantly to the region's economy. We also work closely with the Chamber of Commerce and Business Link to achieve the same outcomes".
"There is no doubt that Herefordshire, like everywhere else, will feel the credit crunch begin to bite, but the county demonstrates an air of confidence which will help our enterprises to ride it out".
Enterprising Britain 2008 is a nationwide competition run by Make Your Mark on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), and in partnership with Advantage West Midlands. Now in its fourth year, the competition celebrates and rewards the most enterprising areas the UK; those places of enterprise excellence that have helped transform the social and economic fortunes for their area.