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| Enterprising Britain 2006 NI Regional Winner |
Mon 05 March 2007 |
Located on the outskirts of Ballymena town, the Ballykeel area has high deprivation levels and problems with housing, education and crime, resulting in low enterprise activity. It is the most deprived ward within Ballymena, and ranks as one of the most deprived wards within Northern Ireland.
All of this meant that any enterprise project in the area would be seen as a great risk. Despite the best efforts of a small number from within the community who were actively devoting their voluntary time to make Ballykeel a better place to live and work in, the low levels of confidence within the community and lack of evidence of the community working together made it seem unlikely that any organisation would be prepared to invest substantial amounts of money to support enterprise in the area.
Yet, despite all of these challenges, the Ballykeel community through the leadership of Ballymena Business Centre the Local Enterprise Agency has been transformed into a hotbed of enterprise.
Our aim is to revitalise and stabilise the Ballykeel community through an Enterprise Culture that would be open and accessible to all ultimately having a positive economic and social impact at a micro community level.
Through the support of Ballymena Business Centre and the Local Economic Development Department, the project then established detailed aims, including helping to develop private and community enterprises in partnership with other local awareness activity, creating jobs at a local level, and providing suitable workspaces.
It is the first of its kind, having no other local case studies in deprived areas within the North East Region of Northern Ireland to compare it to. Opened in 2002, the initial targets were to generate occupancy levels of 25% in Year 1, 50% in Year 2 and 75% in Year 3, including 70% of all business tenants from the local community; create employment opportunities for 30 people; attract funding investment of £600,000; and be self-sustainable by Year 5 and reinvesting profits within the Ballykeel community.
However, the Centre through the partnership approach with Ballymena Business Centre has far exceeded these targets. Not only is the centre now 100% occupied with 90% of tenant businesses coming from Ballykeel, but four of these new businesses are providing local job opportunities, creating 38 new jobs in total. On the strength of this success, more waste ground has now been secured, as well as, an additional £750,000 investment for the development of 16 business units to meet local demand.
On the strength of this new community, businesses are being established including an after school club, fitness centre and also expansion of existing businesses which will create up to 10 new jobs. Local ethnic groups have also become involved, and the local Muslim Community use the training facilities on a weekly basis.
Melanie Christie Boyle, Chief Executive, Ballymena Business Centre highlights, This Enterprise project captures everything innovation is about and now acts as a role model for other local community developments. The approach captured the confidence of the Local Council, the International Fund for Ireland, Department of Social Development and Local Strategy Partnership to invest in our Enterprise Solution, and support was also gained from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Invest NI North East Region, Training and Employment Agency, the Northern Bank and local community associations.
More importantly, Ballykeel now has a new social enterprise providing local employment and addressing local environmental issues, and perceptions are changing that Ballykeel is a good place for business, with tenant businesses also promote inspiration to the next generation of local entrepreneurs from the community.
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