PRESS RELEASE

28 October 2009

INNOVATION CENTRE CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY WITH A FULL HOUSE

A business centre in Thanet built in the grounds of the Marlowe Academy is celebrating its first birthday with every office occupied and marking the success of a unique work experience scheme with local students.

The Marlowe Innovation Centre in Ramsgate, which provides office and studio workspace for 25 small businesses, is not only full to capacity but has a waiting list of people wanting to become tenants.

The centre, in Marlowe Way, offers tenants a fully staffed reception service with the chance to rent space in its bright and airy premises. Small and start-up businesses have the choice of their own office or they can use the centre as a virtual office.

Students from the neighbouring Marlowe Academy are benefiting from the expertise on site, as each small business at the centre has agreed to offer ongoing work experience to youngsters from the school. These partnerships have included a professional photographer spending a day at a careers fair, sharing his advice, and a series of weekly one-to-one advice sessions between an experienced solicitor and a law student from the academy.

Business Link, the publicly funded business advice and support service, is one of the professional organisations running regular free workshops and one-to-one sessions for Marlowe tenants.

Marlowe’s manager, Leza Riley, who has been at the centre since its launch, said: “The centre is very much a start-up business too and our tenants have been able to use us as a business model. I organise professionals to come in and give talks to the tenants, which has been useful for them. HSBC and the Chamber of Commerce have both been in and the Business Link workshops, which are open to people from the community, have been much appreciated too.

“The centre looks out directly onto the school and is a constant reminder that these youngsters are our future. The small businesses who sign up as tenants here are committed to offering work experience in a number of ways and our own not-for-profit ethos means there will be a growing fund which will help finance local kids through university.”

For more information about the support available, call Business Link on 0845 600 9 006. To find out more about the Marlowe Innovation Centre visit www.marloweinnovationcentre.co.uk or call the centre manager on 01843 598600.

ENDS

PICTURE: some of the tenants at the Marlowe Innovation Centre, Ramsgate

For more media information, please contact:
Rachel Knight or Georgette McCready, Maxim, 01892 513033 or email: first name@maxim-pr.co.uk

Notes to editors
Business Link in Kent provides the information, advice and support businesses need to start, maintain and grow a business. It exists to help anyone thinking of starting a business; to help small and medium-sized businesses to grow and to help businesses deal with problems, challenges and opportunities. Over the last year Business Link in Kent provided support to over 4,000 people considering starting a business and to 1,500 who actually started. Over 20,000 businesses were assisted with general information and advice with more than 2,500 being assisted in depth by a Business Link adviser. 

The Business Link service in Kent and Medway is delivered by Business Support Kent Community Interest Company.