Commuters at London's Paddington Station will need to be on their guard as a giant rabbit will be out to stalk them later today (13 May).

Aardman Studio's world famous Were-Rabbit will be joined by other over sized items all within a giant briefcase measuring 3mx3mx3.5m, such as a massive laptop to show off the business case for working in the South West of England. The campaign, by South West England has been supported and funded by the South West RDA

Some of the country's most famous companies, including HP, Intel, Ecotricity and the Eden Project have come together to showcase the business benefits of working in the region to passengers, as well as some of the success stories to have come out of there. The region is well known as a tourism hot spot but many people are unaware of its pedigree in other areas, including information technology, science and green technology, and of course creative industries.

The South West economy is worth £90 billion a year and over the last 6 years it's been the fastest growing UK region after London. Businesses invest in the region to take advantage of the wide pool of talent based in the South West and enjoy a superior quality of life. The 2005 wellbeing@work survey found that employees in the South West enjoyed the highest levels of happiness and motivation from their surroundings.

"This is an excellent initiative designed to show people travelling in and out of London that there are other areas of the country that are great for business. Seeing all these world class companies together is proof in itself that working with or in the South West can help businesses achieve serious business success", said Stephen Peacock, Director, Enterprise & Innovation at the South West RDA which is supporting the campaign to promote the region.

Creative Talent

The South West is leading the UK for creative talent, with companies such as Aardman, the BBC's Natural History Unit and Plymouth-based Twofour - the UK's largest production company based outside London. Thanks to world-class businesses such as Aardman Animations, who won their most recent Oscar for The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the region's creative and digital media industries are growing faster than any other region in the UK, and employ more creatives than any other region outside London.

"With a number of world class players located both in Bristol and the South West, the region has built a reputation for outstanding creative work which is attracting an ever increasing number of individuals and companies to locate in the region. The creative economy in the South West can only get stronger and stronger," says David Sproxton, co-founder, Aardman

Technology Powerhouse

The South West is globally recognised as the European centre for semiconductor and silicon chip design, with the world's largest cluster of designers outside the US based there - particularly around Bristol's Silicon Gorge. In addition to some of the world's leading IT companies such as Intel and HP, the scientific, technology and R&D capabilities are second to none.

Graham Palmer, MD Sales & Marketing, Intel: "The region provides us with the inspiration to do what we do best, innovate."

"Home of Pervasive Media, the South West brings together artists, media professionals, technologists and leading researchers to explore the art and science of delivering the right thing in the moment," says Phil Stenton, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories

Renewable Energy

A new study into the south west renewable energy and energy-efficiency sectors reveals that, since 2005, the value of the renewable energy sector to the region's economy has grown hugely from £34 million to £215 million.

South West England has a track record of developing 'firsts' in renewable energy. There are over 150 renewable electricity schemes in the region including the first wind farm in the UK, the first centralised anaerobic digestion power station, the first commercial pyrolysis plant and the first underwater tidal stream turbine in the world.

"The region is inspirational. It's no accident that we chose it as the home of the world's first green electricity company." Dale Vince, Founder, Ecotricity

Aerospace

9 of the UK's 12 major aerospace companies have key facilities around Bristol. Including Airbus, manufacturer of the world's largest passenger airliner - the Airbus A380.

Tom Williams, Executive Vice President Programmes, Airbus and Senior National Representative UK adds: "It is estimated that Airbus supports around 37,000 jobs in the South West, which has the largest cluster of aerospace companies in the UK, and one of the highest capabilities for any similar region anywhere in the world."

The Business Case

The 'Business Case' Campaign is taking place at Paddington Train Station from the 13th to the 15th May and takes the form of an giant briefcase which is filled with items representative of the businesses based there, such as a model A380, a wind turbine, a giant Oscar & Were Rabbit, a huge laptop and a double helix. Among the businesses promoting the region and showcasing themselves at Paddington Train Station are:

- Intel
- HP
- Yeo Valley Organics
- Aardman
- West Pharmaceutical Services
- Ecotricity
- Airbus
- Michael Caines, Michelin starred chef
- Motorola


ENDS
Notes to editors:

For further information please contact Sebastian Mathews on 020 7269 7158 or e-mail: sebastian.mathews@fd.com

1. The South West RDA leads the development of a sustainable economy, investing to unlock the region's business potential. It works in partnership with public, private and social purpose organisations to drive up the region's productivity by giving people the skills they need, encouraging enterprise, improving infrastructure, regenerating places, and promoting the strengths of the region. For more information see www.southwestrda.org.uk