Council leader salutes latest Oldham business networking event

Oldham Council has hosted the second free business networking event for local businesses, this time in Royton.

The event, which was organised by Cllr Shoab Ahktar and Oldham Council’s Business, Growth and Investment team, gave local businesses a chance to network and engage with others in the district, gather information about support available to them and identify supply chain opportunities with neighbouring businesses.

Businesses heard from the Growth Hub about the support available and what support the council can provide – Councillor Amanda Chadderton, Leader of the Council, also opened the floor to businesses so they could ask any questions they had.

Cllr Ahktar, Cabinet Member for Employment and Skills, also gave a speech on the thriving business community in Royton.

More than 30 businesses attended the event, which took place at the popular Mazzo Restaurant in the heart of Royton.

This was the second of several networking opportunities the council are organising for businesses across Oldham, with more being organised across the coming year.

Cllr Chadderton, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “We put these events on because I wanted to give local businesses an opportunity to get to know their business neighbours and perhaps create more opportunities with each other – you never know who you might meet.

“I believe it’s so important that our business community is connected with each other, as it’s been a difficult couple of years for everyone.

"The more people who can reach out to people the better, in my eyes.

“It was great to meet more of the hard-working people from Royton and give them some more information on what the council and our partners can offer them in terms of support.

“Royton is absolutely thriving at the moment and it’s brilliant to see.

"In addition to the popular Thursday market which continues to bring people from all over Greater Manchester, over recent years we have seen a growing number of independent businesses and a brilliant food and drink offer, making Royton a real destination for people to socialise.

“There are more events planned, so if you’re a business and fancy a chin wag with other like-minded entrepreneurs, keep an eye on the council’s social media channels for the dates.”

The networking events are free, and open to all businesses from the districts they are hosted in.

Attendees should register to reserve their place through Eventbrite.

Cllr Akhtar added: “It was a pleasure to be able to speak to the people who contribute to making Royton the thriving place it is.

“I’d like to just echo what Amanda said and further highlight our commitment to support the businesses across the whole of Oldham.

“From our dedicated teams and partners to our web pages, and even our businesses newsletter, I want to let local entrepreneurs we are here for them.

“I encourage those in businesses or looking to get started on their journey, to get in touch with our staff today and see what support is available.

Nicola Mitchell, from Mitchell Mortgages, attended on the night.

She said: “I had a really exciting time at the networking event.

"It was a great choice of venue and the whole event felt relaxed and informal.

“I met other businesses who I feel will be invaluable for me going into the future.

“There was a real mix of interesting speakers and I found the question and answer session with Cllr Chadderton extremely useful – it’s always useful to know more about what’s going on not just in Royton, but the wider town as well.”

Those not able to make the events can keep abreast of what’s happening in the borough and the support available to local businesses via the Council's business newsletter.

Sign up here

Oldham Council has a free and flexible support offer to help make a difference in your business.

Much of the package is unique to the borough and includes access to finance, growth advice, workforce development and networking opportunities.

To find out more about what is available, visit: www.oldham.gov.uk/info/201089/business

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