# Stelios offers £50,000 prize for top disabled entrepreneur

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/08/05/stelios-offers-50000-prize-top-disabled-entrepreneur/
- Published: 2014-08-05T12:19:48+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is inviting applications to this year’s
Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs in the UK. The winner will receive £50,000.

The award, run by the [Stelios Philanthropic Foundation](http://www.stelios.com)
and the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability, is designed to recognise the talents
of business owners with a disability or long-term health condition. It is now in
its eighth year.

There is nothing stopping qualifying social enterprise owners from entering.

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## Last year’s winner

[⌊James King and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou⌉⌊James King and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou⌉[

James King and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou at the 2013 awards

 

Last year’s winner was James King. He invested the £50,000 prize money into his 
garden room extensions firm, Oliver James Garden Rooms. He has progressive eye condition,
Retinitis Pigmentosa, but has been running his company since 2011. He has a workforce
of seven and a turnover of almost £300,000.

He said:

> “Winning the award has enabled me to employ two new members of staff, create a
> building manual and put our own bespoke IT systems in place. We’ve designed a 
> more efficient way of working with our customers from initial enquiry to finished
> Garden Room which will allow us to grow capacity far into the future.”

Sir Stelios commented:

> “Removing the barriers disabled people face in business is essential. I hope the
> Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs will change that by highlighting their
> achievements and contribution to society.
> “We want to hear from talented disabled entrepreneurs who are able to show they
> have got what it takes to run a successful business and meet a real need in the
> market.”

The deadline for applications to the [Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs](http://www.leonardcheshire.org/stelios)
is **Friday 19 September 2014**.