Grit pays off for disabled businessman (From This Is Lancashire)

Grit pays off for disabled businessman

6:00am Monday 15th March 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share

A DISABLED Radcliffe businessman who has displayed determination and courage over adversity is basking in the glow of royal recognition.

Mark Livsey scooped the top Royal Bank of Scotland Enterprise Award at the glittering Prince’s Trust Celebrate Success ceremony in London.

The 31-year-old beat a staggering 45,000 people on his way to lifting the UK award, enjoying the red carpet treatment as well as rubbing shoulders with Prince Charles and a host of celebrities.

The father-of-two runs a thriving Middleton-based firm, Parcel Partners, established with the help of a £4,000 low interest business loan from the Prince’s Trust. Mark, an ex-Prestwich High School and Bury College student, was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 19 and by his mid-20s was registered disabled. He said: “When I was given the diagnosis I just thought right, so how do I deal with this?”

Sadly, he found his disability a barrier as he tried to get work following redundancy.

“Sometimes, it was as simple as not being able to get into a building for an interview and sometimes, it was clear from the questions they would ask about my condition that they didn’t think I would be able to do the job.”

Mark was unemployed for 10 months and subsequently decided to become self-employed in the courier industry to tap into the booming internet shopping market. But after securing a contract, he struggled to source vital finance.

He explained: “I was desperate, so I called a high-interest money lender. Even they turned me down. The woman on the end of the phone suggested I give the Prince’s Trust a call.”

He did and thanks to their help, Mark hasn’t looked back since. From just two vans and one customer in 2007, his Parcel Partners now has 20 vehicles, a host of blue-chip customers and is on course to reach a 40-strong workforce by the end of the year.

Mark, of Tintagel Court, Radcliffe, added: “It’s great to win this award. I want other disabled people who are struggling to use my story as an inspiration.”

• Print
• Email
• Share