South-West performing arts entrepreneur shortlisted for prestigious national award

South-@est entrepreneur Fi Da Silva Adams is in the running for a Best Businesswomen Awards, the largest ‘women in business’ awards in the UK.

Fi, Founder and CEO of Swindon and Wiltshire’s leading performing arts company for children and young people, Revolution Performing Arts (RPA), has been shortlisted for the esteemed Best Businesswoman Working with Children & Families award.

Fi, has already made waves this year in the South-West Business & Community Awards, not only being shortlisted in two categories—Female Entrepreneur of the Year and Outstanding Contribution to the Community—but also taking home the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community.

Fi said: “I am so thrilled to be a finalist for this national award. The team has worked so hard to ensure we deliver accessible, nurturing, empowering art forms to all young people, regardless of societal bias and socio economic background. It really is a team effort, and I am so grateful to them and all the parents that entrust us with their precious loved ones.”

Having established RPA in 2007 as a drama group for toddlers and pre-school age children, Fi quickly expanded the initiative to include performing arts for children of all ages. RPA was the first organisation to bring performing arts after-school clubs to the Swindon area.

Today, it runs more than 1,292 performing arts sessions annually, reaching children from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and staging five public shows throughout the year. More than 400 local children attend sessions each week, with nearly 5,000 children participating in the RPA Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) Programme in Swindon and Wiltshire.

RPA’s sister organisation, Rapport Community Interest Company (CIC), is a not-for-profit aimed at young people aged 11-18. Rapport explores various forms of performing arts, including drama, singing, dance, and behind-the-scenes arts such as design, tech, and stage management. The organisation offers free places for young people affected by domestic abuse.

Fi, who has overcome a challenging start in life herself, is a fervent advocate for the empowering role of the arts in helping young people express themselves.

The Best Businesswomen Awards, established in 2015, are the largest and most prestigious women in business awards in the UK, recognising exceptional female entrepreneurs making significant impacts in their industries. The awards celebrate the achievements of women across a wide range of business categories and are judged by a panel of business experts.

The gala awards night will take place on Friday, 11 October 2024, at Hilton Syon Park in London. Find out more about the awards at https://bestbusinesswomenawards.com/