July Closure
Please note that Cookstown Enterprise Centre will be closed from Monday July 11th until Monday July 18th. We will reply to all correspondence on our return.
New Mid Ulster Business Development Programme Launched
A new programme, funded by Mid Ulster District Council and delivered by Cookstown Enterprise Centre, is offering up to 20 local businesses the opportunity to accelerate their growth and competitiveness.
The Business Development Programme, part of the Council’s overall economic development strategy, is now open for applications from micro and small Mid Ulster-based businesses which would like to benefit from a diagnostic audit, followed by up to 3.5 days’ one-to-one consultancy support worth over £1,000. This support can comprise one or a mix of core business areas, including the development of business plans to Invest NI standard to effective pricing, implementation of quality standards, sales and marketing, human resource and financial management.
Speaking about the programme, Chair of the Council’s Development Committee, Councillor Frances Burton, said:
“The micro and small business sector is a vital part of our local economy and it is crucial that even the smallest businesses have the opportunity to access professional business support and capitalise on business development opportunities to enhance their future competitiveness.
“This is exactly what this programme aims to do, by ensuring knowledge and resources are within the grasp of small businesses and I would encourage those which are eligible to take advantage of the opportunity currently on offer”.
To be eligible to apply, businesses must be located in the Mid Ulster District Council area and not eligible to receive similar assistance from elsewhere. Applicants should note this is a competitive application process and demand is expected to be high.
For further information and to request an application form for the Mid Ulster Business Development Programme, please contact Cookstown Enterprise Centre on 028 8676 3660 or email: andrea@cookstownenterprise.com.
Completed application forms must be returned by 4pm Friday 10 June 2016.
Speaker: Ian Farley
Ian Farley has his own tax consultancy business, IF Tax Consultancy Limited. He specialises in preparing R&D tax credit claims for companies and also advising in relation to the patent box.
He is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with over 15 years of experience working within the corporation tax departments of PwC and BDO in Belfast. During these employments he was the office expert for both R&D tax credits, preparing hundreds of successful claims, and also more recently the patent box. He also has a scientific background with a first class honours degree in Chemistry.
In this session, Ian will cover.
- Highlight the benefits available
- HMRC’s Current Thinking
- Provide practical examples
- How a company can claim
- Patent Box – provide a quick overview
Date: Tuesday 24th May 2016
8:15am (Registration and light breakfast)
9am – 10am Event
Admission £20
Location Cookstown Enterprise Centre
To register contact andrea@cookstownenterprise.com or call 028 676 3660
Cookstown Enterprise Centre would like to warmly invite you along to an ‘Effective Financial Management Seminar’ on Wednesday 6th April 2016 from 9am – 10am:
To register for this event, please contact Andrea McGuckin or Samantha Thom on 8676 3660 or email andrea@cookstownenterprise.com or samantha@cookstownenterprise.com
Cookstown Enterprise Centre will be closed on:
Mon 28thMarch 2016 & Tue 29th March 2016
Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!
Cookstown Enterprise Centre would like to warmly invite you along to an ‘Effective Financial Management Seminar’ on Wednesday 6th April 2016 from 9am – 10am:
To register for this event, please contact Andrea McGuckin or Samantha Thom on 8676 3660 or email andrea@cookstownenterprise.com or samantha@cookstownenterprise.com
Find below information relating to previously run programmes:
Recent Successes
Cookstown Enterprise Centre recently completed the successful delivery of two key business development programmes aimed at providing a comprehensive range of support to over 110 businesses throughout 2013 – 2014. Both programmes, which were funded by the former Cookstown District Council and Invest NI and part financed by the European Regional Development Fund, under the European Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland (2007 – 2015), were devised to accelerate the growth potential of businesses from across the Cookstown area.
Funded by Mid Ulster District Council and Invest NI, this project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Sustainable Competitiveness Programme for Northern Ireland
Elevate Programme
The Elevate Programme was designed to support 84 micro/SMEs located within the Cookstown District Council area to stimulate growth and productivity.
Fastrack to Finance Programme
The Fastrack to Finance Programme was designed to support 30 micro/SMEs located in the Cookstown District Council area to assess the viability of a new business idea and identify and access the finance required to take this forward.
Tradelinks Business Development Programme
Tradelinks 2 is specifically designed to assist the micro-enterprise sector across Northern Ireland and the Border counties of Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal.
Mid Ulster Business Development Programme
The ‘Mid Ulster Business Development Programme’ was designed by Mid Ulster District Council to increase the sustainability and competitiveness of micro/SME’s in the Mid Ulster Council.
Having over 20 years-experience in the catering & hospitality industry between them, culinary duo Julie McLean and Mary McAtasney identified an opportunity to put their skills to better use and opened their own bistro style restaurant in Cookstown.
Before signing up to the Regional Start Initiative this time last year, Oldtown Bistro was just a vision. Fast forward a year and after working one to one with a business advisor, they have now been trading for 8 months, employ 5 staff and both agree it’s the best decision they have ever made. “It’s hard work but it’s very rewarding”, explains Mary.
By participating in the Regional Start Initiative at Cookstown Enterprise Centre they were able to develop their business plan with the support of their business advisor and their journey into self-employment started. ‘The business plan helped me to make sense of things and made me consider things that I hadn’t even thought about’ says Julie.
Working with their business advisor they were able to understand and clearly see what they had to do to make the business work. “The business plan allowed us to work out our start-up costs and financial forecast which ultimately helped us secure funding from our bank”. Added Julie
“It’s great to be our own bosses, now we can use our own ideas and do things our way”.
If you are interested in starting your own business, contact the Regional Start Initiative on 0800 027 0639 / Cookstown Enterprise Agency Tel: 028 8676 3660 or visit www.goforitni.com for more information.
Congratulations to all students from Holy Trinity College and Cookstown High School who recently took part in the ‘Business Enterprise Competition’ hosted by Rotary International, Bank of Ireland and Cookstown Enterprise Centre. Well Done Everyone!
