Now is the time for Pendle to shine

Pendle’s business leaders gathered at The Leisure Box with energy and optimism, uniting behind a confident, joined up and collaborative vision for the borough’s growth.

Pendle’s renewed Vision Board shared optimism about the future at the Invest in Pendle event in Brierfield which was attended by more than 65 local business leaders and guests and was chaired by Lancashire Business View publisher Richard Slater.

An inspirational panel included Scott Earing, interim chair of the Pendle Vision Board and founder of GB Integrated Systems, Phillip Spurr, director of place at Pendle Borough Council, chief executive of Pendleside Hospice Helen McVey, Make NW’s Matt Guirdham and Morag Davis of the East Lancashire Learning Group (ELLG).

Scott gave a powerful reminder of why Pendle’s future matters to him personally and professionally after moving his business from Manchester to Pendle because “this is where my heart and soul is”.

Calling for greater collaboration across sectors, he added: “We have to stick together.

We’re a community, and it might be a tough, long journey – but we can make it in Pendle.”

He added that one of the board’s biggest priorities is helping businesses connect.

“Not everyone knows each other in the room. Our job is to join the dots to know who we’ve got in our armoury and bring people together.”

Phillip Spurr shared positivity about the area.

He said: “Pendle is a place of potential, a place of ambition and a place of determination.

Our role is to enable businesses to make it in Pendle and then basically get out of the way and let them succeed.”

Helen McVey says the area has a strong sense of unity. She said: “The Pendle business community really comes together. There’s something special about working in this area.”

Matt Guirdham reflected on Make NW’s move to Northlight rather than being in a big city.

He said: “There’s a lot more to life now than sitting in traffic, we just feel like it’s a bit more of a community.”

He added “Pendle should focus on “brain gain” instead of brain drain and enticing people back now that are sort of mid 20s, who’ve spent a few years in the city or abroad.”

Morag Davis gave a deeper insight into the ELLG’s role as a bridge between employers and the workforce of the future.

She said: “Every time I go to an employer and listen to what they are saying, I take it back to the ELLG and we start planning and develop our strategy around that.”

She added that the Vision Board would become even more vital as local government and devolution reforms take shape.

She said: “We see ourselves as providing the fuel for businesses in Pendle, it is that talent and future workforce that keeps the furnaces going in Pendle.”

Paula Gill, chief executive of the Northwest Aerospace Alliance, and Joycelyn Neve, founder of The Seafood Pub Company, reinforced Pendle’s strengths.

Paula described the borough as “a Jewel in a crown and we need to actually start polishing that Jewel”.

Joycelyn emphasised the importance of cross sector working to strengthen Pendle’s offer. She said: “It’s the joined up approach and promoting the area for everything that we’ve got here.

“We all have a part to play in making it a place people want to come and live.”

Aneesa McGladdery, principal economic development officer at Pendle Borough Council, said: “Seeing over 65 Pendle businesses in the room at Invest in Pendle gave me the assurance that hosting events like this is something that our businesses want and need.

“I am thrilled at the energy in the room, we have lots of unique businesses in Pendle, all contributing to the economy, from manufacturing to visitor economy,
arts, and culture.”