Yorkshire and Humber MEP Linda McAvan was in Wakefield on Tuesday, 24 July to meet ambassadors of the Make Your Mark campaign. The visit was arranged to coincide with the first Make Your Mark Summer Garden Party, which brought ambassadors and supporters of Wakefield’s Make Your Mark campaign together to celebrate dynamic youth-led business ventures and creative projects.

Make Your Mark ambassadors are young people from the local community who are at the forefront of a major campaign to inspire the next generation of ‘go getters’ and entrepreneurs, they come from all walks of life and include business owners, artists, musicians, actors and writers. At the event visiting MEP Linda McAvan heard first hand about the inspirational activities that they are involved in, and the encouragement and inspiration they are giving to other young people.

Nadine Hill, a Virtual Assistant and proprietor of The Dream PA, used the event to launch a new book: “The Juicy Job – How to create the VA business that’s right for YOU” an e-book available from www.lulu.com which is aimed at helping aspiring virtual assistants to break into this niche market. Nadine, who is from Normanton in Wakefield, has run her own business for the last two years and is keen to share her experience to help other aspiring entrepreneurs follow in her footsteps by creating a business that will fit into their lives, she comments:

“Virtual assistance is an emerging industry in the UK. I get on average, two calls or emails per month from people – especially women - who have found my business online or in the media and want advice on how to set up and run a similar venture. I wrote this book because I realised that there was a real need for honest, practical advice. The book has already helped several new virtual assistants to side step some of the learning curves I made whilst starting out.”

Other ambassadors to meet MEP Linda McAvan at the Make Your Mark summer garden party included the owners of Tellatale Educational Productions. Tellatale is run by seven young men from Wakefield who are currently studying at New College in Pontefract and running a company in their spare time producing educational books for school children. Tellatale has recently secured a £10,000 contract from Middlesbrough Council to produce a fictional book that will feature Middlesbrough Football Club, and use football to aid children’s learning and promote reading.

Speaking at the event Linda McAvan said: “We need a multi skilled enterprising workforce that can adapt to changing circumstances and embrace new challenges. That’s why having the chance to meet with young people from Wakefield today has been so fantastic. These young people are seizing opportunities and making their ideas happen, but they are also sharing their experiences to inspire their peers. It is clear that there is a growing enterprise culture in Wakefield and that young people are leading the way.”

Make Your Mark is looking to increase the range and number of ambassadors that are involved in the Wakefield campaign. Ambassadors are generally aged between 14-30, they are people with a can do attitude who are making their ideas happen. To be an ambassador you do not necessarily have to be a business owner but you must be making you mark in some way – for example, by making an idea happen at work or in the community. If you or someone you know is making their mark get in touch with the Make Your Mark campaign by emailing wakefield@makeyourmark.org.uk or phoning 01924 789683.