National award for city entrepeneur

A CITY business man who owns an organisation that helps in the education of young people has had his company named one of the UK’s top businesses in the 2009 Barclays Trading Places Awards – a national award honouring men and women who are turning their lives around by choosing to start up a business.

Erdington entrepreneur Clifford Harding is now in the running for national glory in the award finals to be held later this year. The Government backed awards recognise business heroes who are no strangers to overcoming adversity – whether it’s dealing with illness or disability, facing challenging family responsibilities head-on, or turning their back on benefits.

Clifford approached the Prince's Trust for help in setting up a business to help children in Birmingham. After struggling through school with Dyslexia, Clifford found himself unemployed and became heavily involved in street culture. A turning point in his life was when his mother died. Whilst living with his sister and caring for his younger brother, Clifford started to gain experience and qualifications in youth work through college courses, employment and voluntary work.

Since July 2008 NK Kreations ltd has grown dramatically by promoting the 'Tunes Times Tables' (a unique method used to teach children their times tables) and over 200 children aged between 5-12 'per term' are learning their times tables through NK Kreations. From this he has devised a 'young person youth mentoring programme,' where teenagers work with them.

This year’s national finalists will be competing in three new categories – Triumph over Disability, Success after Unemployment and the Spirit of Inspiration Award – before hoping to be named the 2009 Barclays Trading Places Winner. Each category winner will also walk away with £5,000 for their business, courtesy of Barclays, and all national finalists will receive £2,000 worth of computer software from awards supporter Microsoft.