O2 UNVEILS CHANCE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO WIN £1,000 CASH AND TOP OF THE RANGE DEVICE

O2 will gift deserving small businesses across the UK with £1,000 cash and a top of the range device to help people stay connected and support their post-lockdown revival

The public is invited to nominate small businesses who have gone the extra mile or now need a helping hand

Entries open from now until 5^th July

O2 has today launched a competition to reward small businesses who have gone the extra mile during COVID-19, or now need a helping hand bouncing back.

The Everyday Heroes initiative comes from O2 Business, which offers around-the-clock expertise to small business owners, and will provide some of the most deserving companies across the UK with £1,000 cash and top of the range device to help people stay connected and support their revival post-lockdown.

The British public are invited to nominate small businesses who they feel are particularly deserving of the support package, recognising those who might not have grabbed the headlines but have made incredible sacrifices to help their communities throughout the pandemic.

The nominations could be for anyone from local store owners who invested in social distancing measures so they could continue to provide must-haves for the community, taxi drivers who have worked around the clock transporting essential workers and patients to hospital, or a pub that has changed tact to offer food deliveries and ensure everyone still gets their Sunday roast.

Allie Lawson, Head of SMB Brand & Marcomms from O2 Business and judge, said: “We know this has been a particularly tough time for small businesses and so we want to recognise and reward their efforts by helping out some Everyday Heroes who have more than earned it. That’s why we’re calling on the British public to nominate those local businesses who are most deserving, and celebrate their perseverance to continue serving their communities.”

“We’re proud of our history of always being there to provide small businesses with the technology and digital expertise to enable flexible working, improve connectivity and strengthen security. We see first-hand how much of a difference this can make to growing businesses and we hope the prizes will be a great help to those needing to bounce back as restrictions are lifted.”

The winners will be chosen from a selection of the best entries by a panel including independent judge Gavin Ellis, Director of the charity Hubbub, and three judges from O2: Allie Lawson, Head of SMB Brand & Marcomms; Nicola Green, Corporate Affairs Director; and Tracey Herald, Head of Partnerships and Social Impact. The panel will be looking for original stories supported by photographs and videos. The winners will be announced on 27th July.

O2 Business has a variety of tools that helps small businesses with the transition to working remotely. O2 Business offers a Just Call Me service for easy conference calling, instant messaging and video calling with Microsoft Teams, and cloud-based calls with MiCloud which are ideal for when staff are separated across different countries. O2 Business packages also offer greater network security, with experts on hand to help with any technical issues.

To enter a nomination, visit https://news.o2.co.uk/everydayheroes and share the story of why the small business should win a support package from the Everyday Heroes initiative by midnight 5^th July.