Robert Johnson, Arhag vice chair, presents a cheque to Lisa Strid

Three Newham residents are among a group of entrepreneurs to win cash and support for their business ideas.

All are residents of Arhag Housing Association which had issued a Start Your Own Business Challenge. Eleven residents from five different housing providers took part.

Lisa Strid from Eastbourne Road, Newham, won £700 and further training to help get her business London at Home off the ground. London at Home will export ‘British’ goods to Sweden, where Lisa has family and friends.

Anthony Sheriff, from Evelyn Denington Road, Beckton, a qualified engineer, won £500 and further training to create Learning and Print Solutions - a hub to give local people young and old the opportunity to use computers and learn new skills, with the eventual aim of setting up a print shop.

Maria Duarte from Mitcham Road, East Ham, who has ten years of cleaning experience in Portugal, France and the UK and is a qualified trainer will be receiving further training to help set up her own cleaning business, Direct Gold and Blue.

The Start Your Own Business challenge to Social Housing residents was laid down by Arhag, a small BME Housing Association with just over 700 properties across 13 London boroughs. Training was provided by the charity Aspire Foundation and 11 residents from five different social housing providers took part..

Presenting awards at the culmination of the ground-breaking Start Your Own Business challenge, Arhag Vice Chair Robert Johnson said: “Arhag is not going to stop here. We are determined to enhance the prospects of residents.”

For Arhag it is just the start of a commitment to providing more employment opportunities for residents, and to support and encourage small businesses after research highlighted the difficulties many, particularly refugees and immigrants, have in using existing expertise or accessing business funding.