Five of this year’s Young Innovator Award winners, announced today by Innovate UK and The Prince’s Trust, are from Scotland. The winners will receive a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs.

The Scottish innovators looking to make the world a better place are:

• Nina Birchard, 24, Glasgow, who has designed the Newborn Rescue Towel, a low cost emergency medical device which provides thermal support and the correct positioning to aid resuscitation in newborns.
• Lucy Fisher, 25, Aberdeen, who has taken a childhood passion for knitting and turned it into a business. Knit It aims to bring knitting into the 21st century via a new digital platform which enables knitters to have a choice in how they follow a pattern and guides them through creating their new designs.
• Elena Höge, 28, Edinburgh, who is creating educational games like Wholesome, a mobile forest school experience that teaches children and adults about nature, including how to forage and cook with wild food.
• Iona Mackenzie, 26, Edinburgh, whose Talk and Grow business aims to take the stress out of finding a therapist for those in need of support in Edinburgh with an online matching and booking platform to pair clients with a number of local counsellors.
• Petra Baiba Olehno, 30, a Glasgow-based Latvian who wants to create REPAIREL, a one-stop-shop for buying ethical footwear online which allows people to compare information about shoes and brands.

The Young Innovators Awards recognise young people from across the UK with great business ideas who have the potential to become successful entrepreneurs and future leaders in innovation.

Following an unprecedented level of entries, with an 87% increase in applications year-on-year, 64 young people have started the New Year with a boost after getting the coveted award, double the number of award winners/recipients of previous years.

With recent research showing over a third of 18 to 34 year olds want to launch an independent enterprise in 2021, compared to 28% of 35 to 54 year olds, it’s even more important the support is available to those who want to venture into starting a business.

The winners from Scotland, are five of 64 inspiring young people who will receive Young Innovators Awards this year, each benefitting from a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs. The programme is set to continue awarding young people from diverse backgrounds until at least 2023. This year, 49% of the winners are female; nearly a third are Black, Asian or from an ethnic minority background; 17% have a disability and the projects cover all regions across the UK.

From a way to help stroke survivors on the road to rehabilitation to support for parents to protect their children online, all of this year’s Young Innovators have ideas that promise to address current challenges. Ideas this year span everything from technology to physical and mental health and from sustainability to fashion.

Commenting on her award and project, Nina Birchard said:

It is a simple, non-invasive positioning aid which ensures open airways while providing thermal support and an aide-mémoire to guide the user through the procedure. It is a novel, game-changing product which is simple to use and easy to produce.

The Young Innovators Award seems like an amazing, supportive platform to learn, build and launch your business idea. I am so excited to get stuck in!

Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Innovate UK says:

With 2020 proving to be an incredibly difficult year, maintaining our focus on Young Innovators was a priority for Innovate UK since finding the great entrepreneurial minds of the future is more important than ever. Working alongside this year’s winners, Innovate UK will help them grow and develop their business idea to make the world a better, and more innovative place. We can’t wait to see what they achieve this year.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said:

It’s fantastic to see young people so passionate about starting a business. The UK Government is committed to encouraging entrepreneurship and rewarding innovation and hard work.

Investing in young people has never been more important as we bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic. We have seen truly exceptional ideas from some very worthy Scottish winners. I’m delighted to see their hard work pay off and I congratulate everyone involved.

Details on all 64 Young Innovators can found here. If you’re an inspiring young innovator, check out how Innovate UK could support you here

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss MP has congratulated UK exporters, business leaders and DIT staff who have been recognised with Honours for their exceptional and outstanding service to international trade, investment, and exporting.

Those honoured represent a diverse range of businesses, from sourcing PPE for the pandemic, green energy, trade policy negotiations and to services exports in the creative industry such as cross-cultural theatre productions.

The New Year’s Honours List also recognises the work and dedication undertaken by those who worked during the pandemic to keep the country safe.

International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said:

All those being honoured have made a terrific contribution to the UK over the past year, whether it be leading the fight against coronavirus or helping champion free and fair trade across the world. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their hard work.

More trade and investment is vital to delivering the jobs and economic growth we need to recover from the pandemic and build back better. Our innovative and go-getting exporters are critical to that, and we will continue to support them as they look to sell more of their wares overseas this coming year and beyond.

Exporters recognised in the list include Stuart Gibbons, DIT Export Champion and Managing Director of Le Mark Group, an international family-run business base in Cambridgeshire that supplies products to the arts and entertainment industries, including labels, floors and crew wear. The Houghton-based company sells directly and supports a global network of over 150 distributors. It has a turnover of £6.5 million, with exports accounting for approximately 20%.

Le Mark’s export growth was significantly supported by the Department for International Trade. Before working with DIT, Le Mark primarily supplied UK domestic clients. Through DIT’s export initiatives such as Passport to Export, the company began its strategic growth into export markets. International Trade Advisers’ support over the years enabled funded research projects that took Le Mark to new continents. Adopting the strategy to use native language speakers overseas supported the company’s growth into non-EU countries such as Russia and was vital to strengthen business relationships.

The company has built a reputation for product excellence and award-winning British design and innovation. Stuart Gibbons, in his role of DIT Export Champion, now also continues to encourage and advise British regional companies to embark on the path of exporting, which significantly increased his company’s turnover.

Stuart Gibbons, Managing Director at Le Mark:

To be noted and honoured for what I consider to be a personal passion of mine, was something I had never imagined.

I have had the privilege to work on some excellent projects with talented people both at Le Mark and around the world. I will continue to support British exporting companies wherever I can. What an incredible and positive way to start 2021.

Antonia Romeo, Permanent Secretary at the Department for International Trade, said:

I am extremely proud of DIT colleagues recognised for their hard work for the Department on international trade issues.

It is also excellent to see so many British exporters and business leaders recognised in the 2021 New Year Honours List, showcasing the success of British exports abroad.

Many congratulations to them, and to all recipients.

Exporters and business leaders in the New Year’s Honours List 2021 include:

• Kirsty Hamilton; Associate Fellow, Chatham House (OBE)
• Stuart Paul Gibbons; Managing Director, Le Mark Group (OBE)
• Sharon Pursey; Co-Founder, SafeToNet (OBE)
• Steve Crane; Chief Executive Officer, business Link Japan and Executive Director of Export to Japan (OBE)
• Matthew Hurn; Chief Financial Officer, Mubadala Investment Company, Chairman, Association of Corporate Treasurers, Middle East (OBE)
• Ella Spira, Co-founder, Sisters Grimm (MBE)
• Piertra Mello-Pittman, Co-Founder, Sisters Grimm (MBE)
• Laura Bounds, Managing Director, Kent Crisps (MBE)
• Manoj Varsani, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hammock (MBE)
• Paul Jonathan Morris, Founder and Chief Executive Addmaster UK Limited (MBE)
• Zoe Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Sparkol (MBE)
• Daniel Leigh Brooks, Chief Executive Officer, Virtual Human Resources (MBE)

Staff from the Department for International Trade (DIT) have also been recognised in the 2021 New Year Honours list, including:

• Matthew Davies; Deputy Director, Trade Agreements Continuity Programme (OBE)
• Deborah Clarke; Country Director, Department for International Trade Malaysia (OBE)
• Ruchi Nanda – Lately Account Manager, Trade, Investment and Business Support (MBE)
• Jasmine Baker – Head of Insurance and Asset Management British Embassy Beijing (MBE)
• Chris Dunn – Head of Infrastructure and Environment (China), Energy, Infrastructure, Creative and Sports Directorate (MBE)

Almost 25,000 Self Assessment customers have set up an online payment plan to manage their tax liabilities in up to 12 monthly instalments, totalling £69.1 million, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed today (13 January 2021).

In October, HMRC increased the threshold for self-serve Time to Pay arrangements from £10,000 to £30,000 for Self Assessment customers. Once they have completed their 2019 to 2020 tax return and know how much tax they owe, customers can use the self-serve facility to set up monthly direct debits and spread the cost of their tax bill.

The 31 January Self Assessment deadline is less than 3 weeks away but for almost 25,000 customers, who have completed their tax returns and set up an online payment plan since 1 October 2020, they can start 2021 knowing their tax liabilities are under control.

Karl Khan, HMRC’s Interim Director General for Customer Services, said:

We know the past year has been tough for many businesses and self-employed people, which is why we’re helping them spread the cost of their tax bill into monthly payments.

Self Assessment customers can use the self-serve Time to Pay facility for amounts up to £30,000 with almost 25,000 customers already benefiting from the service.

The self-serve Time to Pay threshold was increased to help businesses and individuals who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Supporting Self Assessment customers to manage their tax bills can help ease their financial commitments into more manageable monthly payments. To date, the average value of payment plans set up online is £2,821.

Customers can apply for the payment plan via GOV.UK. However, they must meet the following requirements:

• they need to have no:

  • outstanding tax returns
  • other tax debts
  • other HMRC payment plans set up
• the debt needs to be between £32 and £30,000
• the payment plan needs to be set up no later than 60 days after the due date of a debt

Customers who are required to make Payments on Account, and know their bill is going to be lower than the previous tax year, can reduce their payments. Visit GOV.UK to find out more about Payments on Account and how to reduce them.

Be aware of copycat HMRC websites and phishing scams. Customers should always type in the full online address www.gov.uk/hmrc to get the correct link for their Self Assessment tax return online securely and free of charge.

They also need to be alert if someone calls, emails or texts claiming to be from HMRC, saying that they can claim financial help, are due a tax refund or owe tax. It might be a scam. Check GOV.UK for information on how to recognise genuine HMRC contact.

Find more information on Self Assessment.

The Self-serve Time to Pay data is online payment plans created between 1 October 2020 and 11 January 2021.

Customers using self-serve Time to Pay will be required to pay any interest on the tax owed. Interest will be applied to any outstanding balance from 1 February 2021.

If your Self Assessment debts are over £30,000, or you need longer than 12 months to pay your debt in full, you may still be able to set up a Time to Pay arrangement by calling the Self Assessment Payment Helpline on 0300 200 3822.

Follow the National Cyber Security Centre’s 6 essential steps to keep yourself and your business secure online by visiting CyberAware.gov.uk.