A PRINTING business offering training and apprenticeships to young Weston people has been named as the winner of a Mercury competition to find Weston’s Next Top Businessman.

At the end of 2011, we teamed up with Legal & General Properties to run a contest for new firms to win a unit on Weston Industrial Estate totally rent-free for a year.

The idea was to provide a leg-up to a fledgling firm at what is a tough time to be striking out alone in a new business venture.

We can now reveal our winner was a new partnership between the For All Healthy Living Company (FAHLC) social enterprise and print firm RM Signs.

Mark Graham, the FAHLC’s chief executive, said the idea to offer new training and apprenticeships to young people could provide a boost for the area.

He said: “Unemployment can adversely affect health and wellbeing, and by creating chances to learn skills and be part of a team we hope to be able to begin to change that for people.

“In these difficult times in the Public Sector, as an organisation we also have to put our entrepreneurial approach into practice and begin to diversify how we make an income.

“We hope to use this new business as a potential model for the future and if it is successful, develop other small Social Enterprises.

“Also we are pleased the unit is located in Oldmixon so we can demonstrate a positive value of local people and contribute to sustaining the very local community.”

Russell Crofts of site landlord KnightFrank, said: “We are delighted to have completed the competition, and be able to select such a worthy winner.

“The quality of the proposals put forward demonstrates that Weston is a real hub of creativity, with new businesses striving for success throughout the town. It is only a shame we cannot offer everyone a unit.

“For RM Signs we hope that this will allow them to take the next step in their programme with the For All Healthy Living Centre to provide a stable workplace environment for Weston’s young people starting their careers.

“We have been so impressed with the process that we plan to offer another opportunity later in 2012.”