Pictured (L-R) are Roy Douglas, The Gallaher Trust and Melanie Christie Boyle MBE, Ballymena Business Centre.
THE Gallaher Trust is supporting Ballymena Business Centre’s ‘Enabling Enterprise 2’ project, by providing over £100,000 in funding.
Delivered by Ballymena Business Centre, the ‘Enabling Enterprise 2’ project will provide support for new business start-ups within the local Ballymena area.
This project follows on from the success of the first Enabling Enterprise project, which was launched in October 2018 across a three-and-a-half-year period with The Gallaher Trust funding.
With the aim of promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship, the project delivered a range of initiatives, including enterprise roadshows, on-line events and training workshops, as well as providing £500 of seed funding to support 127 new business start-ups in the Ballymena area.
Keen to continue its support of helping new businesses develop in the Ballymena area, The Gallaher Trust has supported the next phase of the project, named ‘Enabling Enterprise 2’, which is running across a three-year period until December 2025.
As part of the ‘Enabling Enterprise 2’ project, four enterprise roadshows will be delivered, with the aim of helping at least 25 attendees start their own business.
The project will also offer town centre retail test trading opportunities for 30 entrepreneurs, as well as £500 of seed funding to 137 local businesses, which will play a significant role in driving job creation, with 36 jobs expected to be created, representing a total reinvestment within the local community of £101k.
Melanie Christie Boyle MBE, Chief Executive of Ballymena Business Centre, commented on the success of the Enabling Enterprise project:
“Since the creation of Ballymena Business Centre in 1989, we have worked hard to support the talent and entrepreneurship of the local Ballymena community.
"Ballymena has always been a vibrant business space, and with the support of The Gallaher Trust, the ‘Enabling Enterprise 2’ project will help us build upon this success and undoubtedly make a significant difference to driving job creation in the area.”
Trustee of The Gallaher Trust, Roy Douglas said:
“As The Gallaher Trust’s first delivery partner, Ballymena Business Centre has always been close to our hearts, and we have thoroughly enjoyed watching the organisation grow from strength to strength. The success of the Enabling Enterprise initiative is a credit to Melanie Christie Boyle MBE and the team at Ballymena Business Centre,who are dedicated to nurturing the skills and talent that exists within the community.
“They have provided employment opportunities for people in the local area for over thirty years now, playing a pivotal role in rejuvenating Ballymena’s local economy. We look forward toseeing the project’s success continue, and that many morebusinesses and jobs will be created in the future.”
Pictured at the recent ‘Making a Difference’ Awards are James Martin; Melanie Christie Boyle, Ballymena Business Centre’ and Ian Paisley MP, Chairman of The Gallaher Trust.
Ballymena Business Centre was recently recognised at The Gallaher Trust’s Making a Difference (MAD) Awards, winning the ‘Making a Difference by Business Creation and Innovation’ award.
The awards ceremony, attended by Oscar award-winning actor James Martin who was a keynote speaker, took place at the Galgorm Resort and Spa, marking the charity’s fifth birthday, and its achievements during that time.