THE WWP JOURNAL

Press release

Wing Woman Plus, a purpose-led marketing company based in St Neots, has been named a regional finalist in the UK StartUp Awards 2026.

The business has been shortlisted for Marketing & Advertising StartUp of the Year for the East of England.

Wing Woman Plus operates as a plug-in marketing team, helping small and growing businesses move beyond DIY marketing with practical strategy and hands-on delivery.

Founded in 2024, the business was created to support companies that had outgrown doing their marketing themselves but wanted a more flexible and human alternative to the traditional agency model.

Building a business around real life

The motivation behind Wing Woman Plus was deeply personal for founder Lynnette Ellison.

As a primary carer for her son, who lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and more recently her children’s father, who lives with leukodystrophy, the traditional 9-to-5 office model became increasingly incompatible with the appointments, administration and caring responsibilities involved in supporting her family.

That experience helped shape the way Wing Woman Plus works today.

The business is built around flexibility and real life, creating roles that can work for people with caring responsibilities, neurodivergence or non-traditional career paths.

Wing Woman Plus has also actively created paid opportunities for people from the NEET community, providing work experience, mentoring and support to help people build confidence and move into employment.

Growing through referrals

Wing Woman Plus grew entirely through referrals during its first year and reached capacity, demonstrating strong demand for flexible, hands-on marketing support.

Founder Lynnette Ellison said:

“Being shortlisted for this award is a huge achievement for me personally, as well as the whole team, our clients and supporters over the past few years.

This business was built because traditional ways of working didn’t fit my life and I knew I wouldn’t be the only one. To now be recognised at this level, while building a team and creating opportunities for people who might otherwise be overlooked, feels really special.

We’re proud to be showing that you can grow a business, support your community and do things differently.

A massive thank you in particular to Alex Hughes and the Citizen Hub and St Neots Initiative team for being a constant and consistent source of support for us all.

We are proud to represent the beautiful town of St Neots at these regional finals!”

Purposeful growth

Despite being a young business, Wing Woman Plus had already reached a significant milestone by hiring two people from the NEET community through the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority internship scheme, bringing the team to three.

That approach to growth sits at the heart of the business.

Wing Woman Plus was created to prove that a growing company can deliver strong commercial work while creating flexible opportunities and investing in the community around it.

About the UK StartUp Awards 2026

At the time of the announcement, Wing Woman Plus was preparing to compete alongside other businesses from across the East of England, with regional winners progressing to the national final at Ideas Fest in September 2026.

Professor Dylan Jones-Evans OBE, co-founder of the UK StartUp Awards, said:

“New businesses are the driving force behind any thriving economy, generating employment, pioneering innovation, and contributing to prosperity right across the UK.

This year’s finalists represent the very best of British entrepreneurial talent, spotting opportunities and, through dedication, skill, and resilience, building ventures that are making a real difference in their industries and communities.”

The UK StartUp Awards 2026 received more than 2,000 entries, with regional winners progressing to the national final at Ideas Fest.

A proud Wing Woman Plus moment

Being shortlisted was a huge moment for a business that had only been running since 2024.

It recognised the growth of Wing Woman Plus, the trust of our clients and supporters, and the idea the business was built around in the first place:

Great work can be built around real lives.

And we were ridiculously proud to have St Neots on the finalist list with us.