Citizen/Echo Business Awards give boost to local partnership UCAS and Cult work together on new web initiative

06 June 2007

Two of the winners from the Citizen and Echo's 2006 Business Awards have fostered a new business partnership. UCAS, winner of the 2006 e-Business Award, has developed a new website called yougofurther.co.uk targeted at new university students. The site quickly gained the support of fellow award winner, Cheltenham based Cult, crowned Business of the Year 2006.

yougofurther.co.uk provides students with the opportunity to meet each other and make friends before they head off to university after the summer. The site also aims to allow students to showcase their talents to a wider audience whilst at university in order to "go further" and demonstrate their capabilities to potential employers. This and the tailored supporting content make the site different from more traditional social networking offerings like MySpace and Facebook.

Lisa Feege from UCAS has project-managed yougofurther.co.uk's launch: "Yougo will offer real value to students throughout their university or college career. yougo combines innovative web 2.0 features with exclusive content from our brand partners and opportunities for students to get involved and get their work displayed. We have created a fantastic new platform for students to help them get the most out of their time at university and ultimately progress their careers."

The site has a variety of partners, with local fashion retail company Cult being one of the first to sign-up.

Julian Dunkerton, director of Cult said: "We first met representatives from UCAS at the Business Awards. I was impressed by their ability to diversify into new business areas and embrace the digital age. When they approached me later with the prospect of contributing to yougo it seemed like an excellent opportunity.

"Through yougo we can identify the creative talent of the future in areas like fashion, marketing and design. I wanted Cult to work with the yougo team because I see it as a natural partnership. We are probably the most forward-thinking fashion company in the UK. Students, like Cult, are forward-thinking and we have a lot of stores in big university towns."

Other commercial partners on the site include iTunes, Lonely Planet, doctorjob.com, Orange and the website moneysaving expert.com founded by TV's financial expert Martin Lewis.

Media contacts

Byron Price, Communications Executive
Telephone: 01242 544987
Email: communications@ucas.ac.uk
Out of hours: 07768 740461

Notes to editors

  • Lisa Feege and Julian Dunkerton (limited availability) are available for interview.

  • UCAS is based in Cheltenham and is the organisation responsible for managing applications to UK higher education courses.

  • UCAS was named Business of the Year in 2005 and won the e-business award for 2006. Cult was named Business of the Year for 2006.