Making the Town Hall a creative place for business

Amy Leader is joining the staff team at Hebden Bridge Town Hall, as the new business development officer.   Amy will be working with the tenants of the Hebden Bridge Creative Quarter enterprise units in the Town Hall to build a lively and successful location for local small businesses.

Sarah Lister-Blow, Executive Director of Hebden Bridge Community Association which runs the Town Hall, says:

“Amy’s role is to make the business space in the Town Hall zing with life and energy, complementing all the community activities which will also be taking place in our new Town Hall buildings.  

"We already have some extremely innovative small businesses lined up ready to move into their units when the new building opens in two months’ time and Amy will be working with them to build a vibrant community of enterprises. 

"Hebden Bridge has a strong reputation as a centre for creative and digital businesses, and we will be building on these foundations.”

Amy Leader has played a strong role in local community life since moving back to the area where she grew up four years ago.  She is the founder and President of Hebden Bridge Women’s Institute, and has also recently become secretary of Hebden Bridge Partnership, the voluntary sector umbrella organisation.  She has direct experience of running her own successful small business, having run the Hebden Bridge haberdashery shop Ribbon Circus until summer last year. since when she has been working as a freelance business adviser.  She has also been very active in promoting local businesses through her engagement in Hebden Bridge Business Association and through organising the Festive Fandango Christmas promotion in the town.  Amy has past experience as a BBC researcher and assistant producer, and as a researcher for Comic Relief.

As well as the new community facilities, the Hebden Bridge Town Hall development includes thirty enterprise units and a business lounge dedicated for local people who want space for hot-desking on an occasional basis.  Over half of the units have been taken already, and a further four units are now close to being let.  Interest in the Business Associates scheme, which offers access to the business lounge and hot-desking facilities, is also growing. 

Amy Leader says: “This is a very exciting time to be joining the Town Hall team.  I’ll be working to make sure that all our new business tenants have the best possible start to their time in the building.  We’re already planning a series of events and activities to make sure that Hebden Bridge Creative Quarter lives up to its name as a thriving centre for enterprise.”

Amy’s appointment completes the Town Hall staffing team, which also includes Sue Graham, the Town Hall administrator, and Chris Mackins, who has recently been appointed as community project officer, through funding provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

The main construction work on the new Town Hall extension has been funded partly from support from the Communitybuilders fund and partly by the European Union for the region’s economic development,  through the Yorkshire and Humber European Regional Development Fund programme 2007-13. The ERDF programme provides investment support to help regions improve their economies and help local businesses, people and communities to improve their prospects.