Rosanne KilbournRosanne Kilbourn the Project Manager: “The people of Haverhill have had a tough time recently, with many lay-offs and redundancies, and we felt that we could give the people there another option to follow.  Most people do not realise just how much ability they have, and how valuable they could be – we hope to give some of them a chance to find out.”

The workshops, advice session and courses are free to all Haverhill residents looking to start a new business but MENTA is very keen to particular help those who would not normally be able or inclined to access mainstream business start-up support, and are currently not working . These include the unemployed, those made redundant, single parents, back to work mums, ethnic minorities and those with disabilities. 

Rosanne added: “If self employment doesn’t turn out to be right for them, the skills they will have learnt with us should help them to find work or a route to further qualifications, and help them get to where they want to be.”

As part of the programme MENTA has appointed its first Community Champion – Chrissy Proctor, a Haverhill mother of two, who has experience of running businesses locally.  Her job is to explain directly to appropriate community groups just how the programme could help them.

Contacts

To find out more:

Email Rosanne Kilbourn by clicking here.

Email Chrissy Proctor by clicking here.

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About the ESF
The European Social Fund (ESF) is the European Union’s main initiative for investing in jobs and skills. The 2007-2013 ESF programme will invest £4 billion in England and Gibraltar of which £2 billion is EU money from the ESF. The ESF will fund employment and training projects to add value to national and regional strategies.  Further details of EEDA’s specific ESF co-financing programme can be found at www.eeda.org.uk/esf

About EEDA:
EEDA has a clear mission - to improve the economy of the East of England.
So whether it’s helping businesses through the recession, supporting people to be the best they can or breathing new life into places, everything they do comes back to their mission statement. EEDA works across the six counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
Their investment decisions have a track record of delivering considerable returns. A recent independent report found that for every £1 EEDA spent, they generated a mid-point return of £4.75 for the region's economy. Visit www.eeda.org.uk