Are you a disabled entrepreneur? Here's how you could win a share of £300,000 from easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou - and change your life like the trio who triumphed last year
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With disabled people still facing significant barriers to finding jobs, it's no surprise many are taking the decision to become their own boss instead.
All around the country you'll find inspiring stories of disabled entrepreneurs turning their ideas into thriving companies - paving the way for others to follow in their footsteps.
The Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs exist to celebrate the success of these founders and give them the support they need to scale up and create jobs and wealth in the British economy.
Launched by easyJet founder and philanthropist Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in partnership with disability charity Leonard Cheshire, they are now in their 17th year and inviting entries from disabled entrepreneurs with a UK company generating at least £100,000 of annual revenue.
So far, a grand total of £1.85m (including this year's sums) has been donated to winners by Sir Stelios and his charity, the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, in order to recognise their exceptional achievements.
And this year the prizes are even bigger, with the entrant who most impresses Sir Stelios winning an incredible £150,000 to invest in their business, followed by a second prize of £100,000 and £50,000 for third place.
Getting your hands on a life changing sum of money isn't the only benefit of winning: you'll also gain amazing publicity for your company, networking opportunities with other disabled entrepreneurs and mentoring from Sir Stelios himself.
But don't just take our word for it! Below, we catch up with last year's winners to hear how they've made the most of these opportunities - starting with Cedric Bloch, CEO of Brigit's Bakery.
Cedric Bloch, founder of Brigit's Bakery, won last year's Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs
The awards were launched by easyJet founder and philanthropist Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in partnership with disability charity Leonard Cheshire
'I put my prize towards building the first ever electric 1960s Routemaster'
Ten years ago, Cedric Bloch came up with the idea of serving afternoon tea on one of London's iconic Routemaster buses, allowing guests to feast on freshly made cakes and sandwiches while passing by some of the capital's most famous sights.
While his business - Brigit's Bakery - quickly took off, all his hard-won achievements were thrown into doubt in 2021 after a spinal injury caused by a bike crash left him paralysed from the waist down and using a wheelchair.
Yet his unwavering determination and unbreakable spirit saw him excel in his recovery and continue to grow his company - a remarkable achievement that led to him being crowned overall winner of the 2024 Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs.
Having introduced the first wheelchair-friendly bus to the Brigit's Bakery fleet, the 37-year-old spent some of his £100,000 winnings (the prizes have increased this year) on developing the first ever electric-powered 1960s Routemaster.
'We invested some of the prize money into creating the bus and we are now maybe six months to a year away,' he says. 'We hope to use it in our fleet and potentially license the concept to other companies and countries.'
Cedric also credits the awards for opening up valuable networking opportunities and boosting the profile of his business, which now boasts annual revenues of over £5million.
Cedric picking up his £100,000 winnings at last year's awards ceremony
'A friend told me about the awards so I sent in an application without thinking too much about it,' he recalls.
'I got an email back saying Sir Stelios wanted to have a Zoom chat because I had passed the initial stages, and after that I got another email inviting me to the awards ceremony. My children came along and were so proud.
'It's been amazing - since winning I've met a lot more disabled people in business and it's given my company plenty of recognition. I'm now hoping to double our revenues to £10million.'
Asked for his message to other disabled entrepreneurs who were considering entering, he replies: 'You should. Who knows, you might win and get the chance to meet Sir Stelios. It definitely opens doors!'
'Winning has been life changing and massively boosted my business'
Amelia Peckham was a confident and outgoing 19-year-old when a quad bike accident in 2005 seriously damaged her spine, prompting doctors to warn she would never walk unaided again.
She was handed a pair of grey, standard-issue crutches that left her with agonising blisters, in need of a wheelchair and a feeling that the future was hopeless.
Amelia Peckham founded her business, Cool Crutches, alongside her mother, Clare
Yet it was at her very darkest moment that Amelia sighted a gap in the market for crutches that were comfortable, customisable and didn't click as you walk - a vision that led to her launching a new business, Cool Crutches, alongside her mother Clare in 2006.
Their new range was met with a 'phenomenal' response, and the company quickly went from strength to strength before Amelia - in need of more money for growth - applied to last year's Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs and won the runner-up prize of £60,000.
'We wanted to produce a new essentials range that would be more accessible for disabled people, as well as develop a feature on the site where customers could design their own crutches,' she says.
'Winning the prize money has been life changing: the essentials range arrives in May and we launched the design technology last September.
'I think we're the only company who offer personalisation on crutches and walking sticks and allowing people to do the designs themselves makes a massive difference in terms of efficiency and margins.'
At her darkest moment, Amelia sighted a gap in the market for crutches that were comfortable, customisable and didn't click as you walk
Having struggled to apply for other awards in the past, her experience this time was completely different.
'While other awards are very complicated to apply to, this was one quick application,' she says. 'Sir Stelios and the team were so helpful and nice - they really understood me and why and how I wanted to scale the business.
'Sir Stelios has a reputation as a phenomenal entrepreneur but he also really gets disability and has a specific interest in supporting communities who need it. I've never met anyone like him and the number of people he's helped is extraordinary.
'I'd urge anyone to apply - the application is so straightforward and it could genuinely change your business overnight.'
'I felt we were being recognised and finally had a platform'
Debra Cartlidge found there was very little support for deaf people like her at school and left without any qualifications - as well as the impression from teachers that she would 'never amount to anything'.
But her introduction to sign language at the age of 27 'changed her whole world' by allowing her to communicate with other deaf people and understand more about the barriers and discrimination they all faced.
Inspirational: Debra Cartlidge is the creator of Deaf Village North West - a two-acre site in Blackburn
Determined to help the whole deaf community, she founded the School of Sign Language in 2006. Later on, she also created Deaf Village North West - a two-acre site in Blackburn that provides services for deaf people alongside a residential facility called The White House.
Ever the team player, Debra describes her third-place award of £40,000 from Sir Stelios as a victory for the whole deaf community, not just her.
'It felt like we were being recognised, which was wonderful, because once we have a platform people have to start listening and supporting,' she says.
'We made Sir Stelios a video featuring everyone in the Deaf Village as a thank you. And we've definitely not been forgotten and can still go to him if we need support.
'It's not just about winning the awards but what comes after as well in terms of the contacts you make.'
Everyone at Deaf Village made a video thanking Sir Stelios for the prize winnings
The 50-year-old has invested some of the winnings into a new business called Silent Hardcore, which uses AI to create greeting cards in British Sign Language.
'That means you can have messages in sign language for people in the deaf community or others who have a disability and use sign language to communicate,' she says.
'Any profit goes back into the village, which is changing lives by empowering our deaf community and providing opportunities for them.'
To take part, please go to stelios.foundation to download the entry form, which must be emailed to [email protected] from Thursday April 3, 2025 and by Friday May 16 2025 at 17:00 British Summer Time.
