Wendy
4/14/2025 8:43:16 AM
4 mins read
Four mayoral candidates and three rising stars of business joined forces at a hustings organised to promote microbusinesses and youth enterprise in Hull and East Yorkshire.
Victoria Smith, David Carter and Ellie Green all walked away with cash prizes to boost their business finances as a result of the THUD Yorkshire event.
Anne Handley (Conservative), Kerry Harrison (Green), Margaret Pinder (Labour and Co-operative), and Mike Ross (Lib Dem) all gained valuable insight to help them in their campaigns to become the region’s first mayor.
Rowan Halstead (Yorkshire Party) pulled out a few days before the event because of work commitments and submitted a statement which was read to the audience. Luke Campbell (Reform UK) cancelled by email about 45 minutes before the start and has requested a private meeting with the organisers.
Event moderator Phil Ascough, a media and PR consultant who sits on a number of business boards in the region, said: “The evening was all about celebrating microbusinesses and young entrepreneurs and it was important to have the candidates there, looking and listening, and thinking about what sort of obstacles young people face in setting up their own business.
“Everyone who turned up made a valuable contribution. The young entrepreneurs demonstrated the creativity and commitment which should serve them well as they develop their businesses. The candidates were given plenty of ideas during the formal proceedings and the networking about what they can do to help if they win the election.
“The notion put forward by some people that you don’t need political experience for the mayoral role could not be more wrong. It is very political because we have a Labour government, Conservative and Lib Dem leaders of the local authorities, and MPs across Hull and East Yorkshire representing Conservative and Labour. One of the attributes we were looking for was the ability to build partnerships across all of those rivalries.”
THUD (The Hook-up Dinner) Yorkshire brings together young entrepreneurs from Hull, the East Riding and North Yorkshire to present their enterprising journeys and ambitions for the future. It is supported in promoting youth enterprise by the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank (JCYEB), which partnered with the Microbusiness Alliance and Design Over Technology in sponsoring the hustings.
The JCYEB also issued its own mayoral manifesto to the candidates in the build-up to the event.
The manifesto calls for more support with pre-starts and startups, the creation of a mental wellbeing service for aspiring young entrepreneurs, a commitment to help young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds, partnership with other mayors to support the #ExcludedUK campaign, action to end late payment, and the launch of an enterprise programme incorporating the Big 13 Enterprise Skills.
After an audience poll, Victoria Smith and David Carter were joint winners of the pitching competition and each received £400. Ellie Green was awarded £200 after finishing just a few votes behind.
Victoria owns Victoria Smith Photography and specialises in gig and event photography, as well as weddings, photoshoots, and creative product photography.
David founded AIM Mobility having spent years fixing mobility scooters and stair lifts. He is now looking to expand to include a broader range of mobility repairs.
Ellie has set up Ephemere Prints while still a fashion and textiles student and is working to offer custom-made clothing that stands out from the crowd.
They received their prizes from Ian Cass, chair of the Microbusiness Alliance, who also briefed the mayoral candidates.
Ian said: ““At the Microbusiness Alliance we are always telling young entrepreneurs and microbusiness owners to obsess about their customers, to put customer service and the customer journey at the front of their minds. We would advise the successful mayoral candidate to take the same approach with micro businesses if the local economy is to grow and thrive.”
