Businessman Paul scoops £50k prize in disabled entrepreneurs competition

A BUSINESSMAN has won £50,000 in a competition for disabled entrepreneurs.

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Paul Woods is the managing director of Widnes-based courier business Proactive Despatch and finished third in the Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs in a London ceremony.

The 51-year-old received his prize from Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou on behalf of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, which run the awards in partnership with the leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire.

Mr Woods has cerebral palsy after being born two months’ prematurely as a result of a lack of oxygen at birth.

He walked everywhere until he was 40 before ‘swallowing his pride’ and began using a wheelchair.

In 2008 he founded Proactive Despatch after being made redundant and has grown it to 11 staff and a turnover of £1.9m.

Mr Woods said he hoped his story would inspire other disabled people to follow their dreams.