Press Releases

December 17 2008

Canine companies take the lead at awards bash

Two entrepreneurs running successful dog services firms won the first and second prizes at New East Manchester’s EnterPrize awards ceremony.

Barking Barbers, a holistic dog grooming company based in Beswick, scooped the top prize of £10,000. Hound Helpers, a dog walking and pet sitting business in Gorton, won the £5,000 runner’s up award.

FIRST PRIZE – BARKING BARBERS

Angel Dominic Moore set up Barking Barbers in April 2007 after retraining to become a dog groomer. He spotted a gap in the market for high quality health and healing treatments for dogs.  His business now offers a range of holistic grooming, reiki healing, nutritional advice and massage for dogs, plus accessories and pet products sold online.

Since setting up nineteen months ago, Barking Barbers now looks after over 360 dogs. Angel, who is a qualified dog groomer and reiki animal healer, has been given the nick name, ‘Cesar Millan’ (The Dog Whisperer) by many clients due to his calming influence on dogs.

Angel’s passion for caring for animals has been a driving force all his life. His own dog, Duke, came from Manchester Dogs Home and Barking Barbers works closely with the home, offering services free of charge and raising money for the charity.

Angel said: “I feel elated to have won £10,000 in the EnterPrize competition. The prize will help me develop a new online Dog Forum providing advice for dog owners and launch a new holistic dog grooming salon. I want to be part of the changing face of dog grooming in the UK by encouraging better care and understanding of pets through knowledge.”

RUNNER UP – HOUND HELPERS

Sarah Roper set up Hound Helpers in December 2007 to meet the demand for dog walking and pet sitting from people with busy lives in east Manchester.

Her research showed that owners have less time to spend with pets due to longer working hours.  They are increasingly reluctant to leave dogs in kennels and often need transport to get pets to vets or groomers. Hound Helpers was launched to provide dog walking, pet transport, pet supplies and sitting services to meet these needs.

Sarah Roper has worked with animals all her life in riding schools and pet shops and has many animals herself, including three dogs, 16 rabbits, ten guinea pigs, three cockatiels, two canaries and a tortoise. 

She plans to use her £5,000 prize to buy a larger van and transporting pet cages, staff uniforms and to fund an advertising campaign.  

Sarah said: “I’m so excited about where this £5,000 prize will take my business. Buying a larger van alone will help double my projected turnover for next year. I wouldn’t have been able to develop Hound Helpers without the advice and support from New East Manchester.”  

NEM HEART AWARD

The £2,000 NEM Heart Award, which recognises a company’s positive impact on the environment and their local community, was won by Gorton-based timber recycling firm TRiM. The firm will also receive five days’ consultancy time from regeneration consultancy arc⁴ who sponsor the award.  

Timber Recycling in Manchester (TRiM) was founded in 2004 by Rachel Wilson and John Poole to rescue and reuse some of the thousands of tonnes of reusable timber sent to landfill each year.

TRiM return the value of recycled wood to the community by providing affordable timber to community projects, individuals with a low income, small scale builders and local authorities. Over the past twelve months the company has diverted over 280 tonnes of timber waste from landfill sites, manufactured recycled timber planters for Manchester’s Christmas markets and provided work experience for dozens of volunteers.  

Judges felt the quantity and quality of entries was very high and that TRiM set an excellent standard for future NEM Heart awards.Rachel Wilson and John Poole are planning to use the prize money to buy a larger truck and a circular saw for the TRiM workshop.  

The EnterPrize Awards Scheme rewards business talent in east Manchester, recognising the enthusiasm, creativity and innovation of new companies and encouraging economic growth. It is run by New East Manchester in partnership with Manchester Solutions, New Deal for Communities and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.  

Eddie Smith, New East Manchester’s Chief Executive, said: “This is the third EnterPrize competition we’ve run and the quality of applications was stronger than ever before. It isn't just the two prize winners who have benefited because all the fledgling businesses who entered the competition have received expert support and advice to help them succeed. New East Manchester is keen to support entrepreneurs through the current downturn and the EnterPrize is a tangible way in which we can help firms grow and reward their determination and creativity.”