Businesses given boost by quintet
A GROUP of successful business people with more than 120 years experience between them are joining forces to help mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs.
The quintet will voluntarily give their time and expertise to businesses in need of advice in the Ripon and Skipton areas.
Together, they have created the Skipton and Ripon Enterprise Group (SREG) – www.SkiptonandRiponEnterpriseGroup.co.uk.
And they have used their connections to recruit more than 20 skilled and successful mentors, who will offer a helping hand to others in achieving their business aspirations.
The SREG is being launched at Broughton Hall, Skipton, today.
The event will bring together the group’s five founders: Alan Halsall, owner and chairman of Silver Cross Prams; Jim Bedford, chairman of Wath Group; Alex Robinson, a commercial director at Skipton Building Society; Roger Tempest, owner of the 400-year-old Broughton Hall and founder of the Rural Solutions innovative business park based within the 3,000 acre site; and Natasha Price, marketing partner for accountants and business advisers EuraAuditUK.
Under the scheme, business owners and people thinking of setting up a business based in the Skipton and Ripon constituency, can register on the SREG website to apply for an individual mentor. The mentor will be on hand to help deal with business issues and provide them if necessary with personalised coaching.
The SREG initiative is the brainchild of Mr Halsall who is based at the Silver Cross head office in Skipton.
He said: “Small and medium sized businesses are the life blood of Yorkshire. They bring with them thousands of jobs, contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds to our local economy and show true entrepreneurial grit and determination.
“But this can be a David and Goliath battle when problems arise and they don’t know how best to respond. Yorkshire is full of hard working, talented people battling to start new ventures or make existing ones succeed, and SREG is made up of people who have done just that.
“I, my co-founders and the mentors are doing this to give something back to the area where our businesses have prospered and, in doing so, we want to help encourage and empower others.
“If we can share some of our experience and knowledge and, in the true ‘dragon’ spirit, breathe some fire into them, then new and existing businesses in the Skipton and Ripon constituency have a positive future ahead.”
MP Julian Smith, who represents Ripon and Skipton, will become SREG’s honorary president.
