Josh Wintersgill, the founder of easyTravelseat (powered by Able Move Ltd), has been crowned the first South West Great British Entrepreneur of the Year at the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Josh, who also picked up the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at 18 months old and has been confined to an electric wheelchair since the age of 10. He launched Able Move in 2018 to enable disabled people to board airplanes with dignity. 

Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs

He won the Stelios Award for Disabled Entrepreneurs in the UK and secured a brand license with easyGroup, rebranding the product to the easyTravelseat.

Now in its seventh year, the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrate the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs, rather than the business’ balance sheet. It is the first time the Awards have held a dedicated regional final in the South West.

Founder of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards

Francesca James, founder of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, said: “Josh is an incredibly inspiring person. He has faced more challenges than most of us will ever face, and yet he has dedicated himself to improving the lives of others. He may be at the start of his entrepreneurial journey, but it’s clear to see that he has an extremely bright future ahead of him.

“It’s the first time we’ve held a final for the South West as its own region, and it has been fantastic to see the quality of entrepreneurs in the area. I want to congratulate all of our winners in South West and wish them the very best of luck for the National Final in November. With over 3,000 entries this year across the UK, it really is a great achievement in itself to get to the regional final.”

Gordon Merrylees, managing director of entrepreneurship at NatWest, said: “NatWest is proud to support the Great British Entrepreneur Awards celebrating another year of amazing achievements for entrepreneurs starting and growing businesses from every corner of the country.

Supporting entrepreneurs is a key priority for NatWest and our dedicated programme of fully funded accelerator hubs, mentoring, insight and bespoke coaching, is specifically designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs who want to start, scale and succeed in business. Congratulations to all of the winners and to those who were shortlisted for one of these prestigious awards.”

Great British Entrepreneur National Finals:

The winners of each category will now go to the National Final of the NatWest Great British Entrepreneur Awards, which takes place in London in November.

Full list of winners for the South West:

Creative Industries Entrepreneur of the Year
Katherine George | Oh So Social

Disruptor of the Year
Johnny Pearce & Tom Stringer | Oltco

Entrepreneur for Good Award
Harry Dennis | Waterhaul

Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
Katie Davies & Justina Perkins | Habox

Entrepreneurs’ Team of the Year
Swanky

Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Bethan & Joe John | The British Blanket Company

Food & Drink Entrepreneur of the Year
Lee Peacock | CUPP

Health & Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year
Gail Francombe & Gareth Despres | School of Natural Skincare

Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
James Hadley | Immersive Labs

Services Industries Entrepreneur of the Year
Mick Lindsay | Mocean

Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Grantley Rogers | 3P Enterprises

Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year
Georgie Stewart | Tumelo

Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Josh Wintersgill | Able Move

Great British Entrepreneur of the Year (South West)
Josh Wintersgill | Able Move