Growth hub opens doors for business in Telford
More than 150 businesspeople got together in Telford to mark the launch of a new £250,000 support centre aimed at encouraging growth among local businesses.
The Marches Growth Hub at the University of Wolverhampton's Telford campus at Priorslee is the first of three in the area, with others set to open in Hereford this year, and at the Food Enterprise Centre in Shrewsbury early in 2016.
Manned by business support officers from Telford & Wrekin Council, it is aimed at helping local businesses to access advice and funding to help them grow.
A launch event attended by just over 150 people saw the new hub, one of more than 30 around the country, open its doors. It has been funded by Telford & Wrekin Council, in partnership with the University of Wolverhampton and The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.
LEP chairman Graham Wynn, who also runs road safety training company TTC Group, said: "Twenty years ago when I had a vision about the business I wanted to start, I wished we had these facilities available.
"It would have been a huge support getting our business up and running much more quickly, and given us the skill to avoid some of the pitfalls."
The new hub is now aimed at a specific sector, and is instead intended to steer individual company bosses, or those considering starting a business, towards the support service that matches their requirements.
That may mean the export support service UKTI, or the business support team from Telford & Wrekin Council.
A website - www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk - has been launched in tandem with the new building.
Paul Hinkins, the chairman of Telford Business Board, said: "There's going to be business support officers located here, and that's key to the whole thing. We are also hoping to encourage our partners, like UKTI and Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, to hold events here. All the membership organisations will have the facility here to be able to use.
"It will rapidly become a hive of activity, I'm convinced of that."
LEP director Gill Hamer added: "In each of these areas, advisers for that area will meet among themselves and look at who needs what support."It's for companies that have come into the local authority and need support and advice. There's still a myriad of information out there."
