Keighley Community Led Local Development.
The Keighley Community Led Local Development (CLLD) scheme was part of a five year multi-million pound programme which was part-funded through European Structural and Investment Funds and Bradford Council. It aimed to support entrepreneurs and existing enterprises to accelerate business growth and stimulate new job creation.
Participate supported the people of Keighley through 2 key projects:
Enterprise start-up – specifically focused on working with pre-start businesses or those who had been established for less than 1 year.
Alternate business start-up – delivering support to people interested in setting up community businesses, charities, community interest companies, co-ops and community groups.
Participate offered a raft of support to people, including:
- A business diagnostic ‘heat map’ tool to look at the capability and capacity of the businesses / business owner and identify any areas for growth
- One to one coaching support
- Workshops, peer events, specialist support and ‘‘Social Venture Schools’
- Support to access the CLLD seed grant pot
- Free hot desking and meeting spaces in the Enterprise hub in the Airedale Shopping centre
- Support with first year of accounts,via WYCAS
- Access to co-working space with PRISM – at their Woodville site
As part of a legacy project, Participate also delivered enterprise coach training to a number of people based in community anchor organisations across Keighley. This provided the wider community with an opportunity to coach people through their initial ideas and identify individuals for referrals to the wider programme.
Participate also helped to establish and run Keighley Social Lights – a peer network of the social ventures in the town who meet fortnightly, leading on the development of a bid for Keighley Social Enterprise Town.
Support in numbers!
- 36 business supported
- 19 social enterprises supported
- 14 individuals we supported to be ‘enterprise ready’
- 16 new businesses were established
- 10 new social enterprises established
- 32 new jobs created
- 6 community coaches trained