Almost 40 firms from across Penrith and Eden met this week to discuss what is on the horizon for Cumbrian businesses and how to drive growth.
The business breakfast event was hosted by Penrith Chamber of Trade & Commerce, in partnership with and Eden District Council and leading academic thinkers from Lancaster University.
Jo Lappin, Chief Executive of Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership (CLEP), was in attendance to discuss the emerging Local Industry Strategy (LIS) for Cumbria and how this aims to support the future development of the county. She said: “The event was a great way to introduce the Local Industry Strategy to Eden businesses, and to hear their thoughts on it.”
“The LIS will be helping shape Cumbria’s economy over the coming decade, outlining how we can maximise economic opportunities, increase productivity, deliver inclusive growth and address our key challenges in both Eden and Cumbria more widely.”
Hosted at The George Hotel in Penrith, the interactive event helped businesses understand – and shape – the future growth priorities in the region.
Feedback from the event is being collated by Eden District Council and Lancaster University to shape new offers for business support, as well as building a knowledge base for regional economic planning.
Oliver Shimell, Assistant Director of Planning and Economic Development at Eden District Council, explained how the Council plans to tackle the issues pressing the business community.
Oliver said: “The series of breakfast events aim to encourage good discussion and debate around important, but often challenging subjects. The feedback received here today will all go in to help shape our plan for the future of the district.”
The event is the second in the ‘Spring Series’ breakfast programme, which brings local businesses together to encourage new ideas, give access to expertise and provide new insights from academic thinkers.
Stephen Macaulay, President of Penrith Chamber of Trade & Commerce said: “We were really pleased to see so many businesses attending the event and engaging in important discussions about Penrith and Eden.”
“We‘re already looking forward to the final event in this Spring Series on Wednesday 19th June, which is all about working together. We’d like to keep the momentum of these events going and will now be looking at a range of topics that could be discussed in a similar forum.”
Tickets for the next event are free and can be booked at www.penrithchamberoftrade.org.uk/events/
Places are limited so booking is essential.
