LEGI Projects
BDE’s Local Enterprise Growth Initiative Projects are organised into three ‘pillars’
- Enterprise culture
- Access to support
- Space for business
1. Enterprise culture
Championing Enterprise
BDE’s Enterprise Champion Paul Bishop works in the community to promote enterprise
Paul Bishop
Tel: 020 8724 8292
Email: paul.bishop@boldanddynamic.co.uk
Outreach & Enterprise Support
Through community groups, estates and children’s centres, LifeLine and Widows & Orphans International advise, inform and guide people towards enterprise programmes.
LifeLine:
Jamie Singleton
Tel: 020 8597 ext 228
Email: jamiesingleton@lifelineprojects.co.uk
Website: www.lifelinecommunityprojects.org
Widows & Orphans International:
Effiong Essien
Tel: 020 8593 3100
Email: woi@btconnect.com
Website: www.worphan.org
Enterprise Cells
Enterprise Cells are groupings of local businesspeople and agencies that, through Barking & Dagenham Council for Voluntary Service, offer practical support to entrepreneurially-minded individuals and community groups.
Farhad Mahmud
Enterprise Enabler
Tel: 020 8227 5436
Email: farhad.mahmud@bdcvs.org.uk
Website: www.bdcvs.org.uk
Excellence in Enterprise Bursaries
Grants are available for Year 12 students in business, science, and sports for visits and work-experience placements.
Gary Jarrett
Tel: 020 8724 1113
Email: gjarrett@robert-clack.bardaglea.org.uk:
Website: www.robert-clack.bardaglea.org.uk
Enterprise Education Resource Centre
This Centre operates from the Robert Clack Secondary School and is the focal point for professional development activities for teachers and school governors in Barking & Dagenham. It is also the base for three enterprise advisers who work alongside teachers in the classroom to promote achievement in enterprise education.
Gary Jarrett
Tel: 020 8724 1113
Email: gjarrett@robert-clack.bardaglea.org.uk
Website: www.robert-clack.bardaglea.org.uk
2. Access to support
Business Start-Up Programme
Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre offers financial and other support, including business training and counselling for emerging entrepreneurs and micro-businesses.
Mark Kass
Tel: 020 8911 3735
Email: markk@bdsbc.org
Website: www.bdsbc.org
Business Franchising
Platinumlinks, a University of East London associate, helps local people to start a franchise business. Franchisers accredited by the British Franchise Association are also encouraged to promote Barking & Dagenham as a prime business location.
Abdul Rahim
Tel: 020 8223 7413
Email: abdul@platinumlinks.co.uk
Website: www.platinumlinks.co.uk
Business Relationship Manager Project
Business managers advise and give practical help in building and maintaining productive business relationships.
Karthik Durgaprasad
Business Desk
Tel: 020 8227 3600
Email: karthik.durgaprasad@boldanddynamic.co.uk
Business mentoring
CEME is delivering the ‘peer-2-peer’ mentoring service to established SMEs, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham over the next 2 years. The participants receive expert advice in running and managing businesses will be provided by those who really know best – business owners themselves and this in turn will support the sustainable growth and prevent the unnecessary failure of locally owned businesses.
Chris Burr
Tel: 020 8596 7033
Email:chris.burr@ceme.co.uk
Image and Inward Investment
To improve the image of Barking & Dagenham, so businesses are encouraged to invest in the area. For example by developing a brand for Barking & Dagenham Enterprise and marketing the LEGI programme to audiences inside and outside the borough.
Magali Kazayi
Tel: 020 8724 8294
Email: magali.kazayi@boldanddynamic.co.uk
Lifeline Child Care Agency
LifeLine Childcare Agency brings together quality ESOL and Basic Skills training provision and credible self-employment opportunities for women and lone parents.
Mrs Bobby Green
Lifeline
Tel: 020 8597 2100
Email: bobbygreen@lifelineprojects.co.uk
Business Networking
Barking & Dagenham Chamber of Commerce arranges informal networking events for businesses and LEGI projects.
Mary Clements
Tel: 020 8591 6966
Email: mary@bdchamber.co.uk
Website: www.bdchamber.co.uk
Business and Higher Education
A BDE/University of East London project is making it easier for local businesses, entrepreneurs and inventors to benefit from the university’s resources and support.
Jean L. Bean
Tel: 020 8223 6505
Email: j.l.bean@uel.ac.uk
Website: www.uel.ac.uk
Retail Premises Improvements
A pilot scheme is helping retailers in Dagenham to upgrade their premises.
Ian Reid
Barking and Dagenham Small Business Centre
Tel: 020 8911 3737
Email: ianr@bdsbc.org
Website: www.bdsbc.org
Business Loan Fund
Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre manages a comprehensive range of loan funds, including one that allows small initial borrowings by new as well as existing businesses in the borough unable to secure bank finance. This initial borrowing can be increased to a limit of £10,000 as the business expands.
Simon Oliver
Barking & Dagenham Small Business Centre
Tel: 020 8911 3737
Email: bdsbc@bdsbc.org
Website: www.bdsbc.org
VAT project
The project focuses on helping more businesses reach and exceed the VAT threshold. This is achieved through employing an approach that includes business support, mentoring, coaching, outreach work and skills development (such as leadership and management skills) and workshops.
Andrew McPhee
Prevista
Tel: 0207 609 4198
Email: andrewm@prevista.co.uk
Website: www.prevista.co.uk
Hot Net
Hot Net runs a hot-desking support network of clients and providers across the Borough of Barking & Dagenham to collectively provide access to hot-desk space and facilities and to connect early stage and pre-start up businesses with the right entrepreneurship advice and help.
Sujata Vaishnav
Tel: 020 8223 2433
Email: s.vaishnav@uel.ac.uk
3. Space for Business
ExCITE Business Centre
Hot-desking facilities giving support to individuals or groups.
Elaine James
Tel: 020 8215 9632
Email: elaine.james@dabd.org.uk
Website: www.dabd.org.uk
Business Centres for Barking & Dagenham
From 2010, two business centres, with a 30,000 sq.ft (one in Barking and one in Dagenham), will provide managed workspace for new businesses starting up or wishing to locate in the borough.
David Harley
Spatial Regeneration
Tel: 020 8227 5316
Email: david.harley@lbbd.gov.uk
Website: www.lbbd.gov.uk