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07
May
Nidderdale businesses set to regain voice following mayor's grant
Businesses in Nidderdale look set to regain their voice, thanks to a new body made possible by a grant from the York and North Yorkshire combined authority.
The Nidderdale Business Association is yet to be formally established, but work towards its formation is well underway following the award of an £80,000 grant from the mayor’s Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund to Nidderdale Plus, the dale’s community hub.
The Nidderdale Chamber of Trade folded after more than 50 years in 2023, citing dwindling membership and a lack of interest in taking up leadership roles.
But in May last year, Nidderdale Plus, which applied for the grant, mooted the setting up of a successor organisation.
Helen Flynn, chief executive of Nidderdale Plus, said:
When we asked people what they wanted, there was a very strong feeling that this should be Nidderdale-wide – a network of businesses that includes village shops, the hospitality industry, and people working from home – and that it should be inclusive.
The whole idea is that the Nidderdale Business Association should not only be there as a forum for businesses to meet on a regular basis, but also to let Nidderdale businesses know about the various grants and skills and training opportunities that are available. A lot of the time, businesses just aren’t aware because there’s nothing out there to tell them about these things, and they’re missing out.
Work is currently being done to put in place a robust structure to ensure the association is sustainable and funded into the future.
Ms Flynn added:
It has to be done in an entirely transparent and inclusive way, with proper governance.
The grant will also be used to fund new Nidderdale branding and a website, and to run two large events each year – probably one at Christmas and one during the summer. It will also pay for a project officer to work with businesses and coordinate the events. Nidderdale Plus will advertise that vacancy soon.
Ms Flynn said that the steering group that was set up to initiate the new body would meet over the next couple of weeks, and that a meeting for the wider business community would be held “before the end of the month”.
The mayor’s award of £80,115 to Nidderdale Plus was one of 26 grants announced for projects around the region, totalling more than £2 million in total.
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