THE Northamptonshire Growth Hub celebrates its four-year anniversary this month and to mark the anniversary, the Growth Hub held a celebratory event in Newton Hall, part of the University of Northampton, Avenue Campus, during which a number of businesses who had been supported by the Growth Hub shared their success stories.
The Growth Hub was established in 2013 to fulfil a need for business support for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the county and in that time has helped over 6,000 businesses. It is now based in two locations: the Innovation Centre in Northampton and the iCon in Daventry – both state-of-the art facilities offering office space and meeting facilities.
It handles over 500 calls every quarter, 70 per cent of which are established businesses but with a significant portion from pre-start and start-up enterprises.
Over the last four years NGH has expanded its offer from a pure business signposting service to providing direct support designed to address gaps in local provision. Together with its various delivery partners, NGH has played a key role in bringing over £7 million of investment to the county, by running projects such as Ready2Grow and Innovate Northamptonshire, and helping to deliver the Northamptonshire Digital Enhancement (NoDE)and South East Midlands Start-Up (SEMSUP) projects. All of which are part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Malcolm Johnston, Head of Enterprise at Northamptonshire Growth Hub commented: “Our first learning curve was understanding and getting the right support to our customers, and to provide them with services that they needed. Four years on, we can say that we have gone above and beyond achieving this. It is a significant milestone for us as we’ve seen huge changes, but we have managed to adapt and grow with the ever-changing landscape. From my point of view, it’s been exciting to watch the team increase in number and witness our clients achieving great success. I’m looking forward to what we, as a growing organisation, can achieve over the next five, 10 and 15 years.”
Northamptonshire Growth Hub offers a comprehensive and unbiased business support to new or growing businesses in the county. The team of professional advisers provide access to a comprehensive portfolio of business support from local and national providers. The FREE service helps businesses to achieve their business ambitions regardless of whether they are considering starting up or already running an established business or a social enterprise.
To enquire about assistance for your business call 01604 212696 or email:
Notes to Editors:
European Regional Development Fund
The projects receive funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund
Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
For more information visit www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.