HRL

Photo: L to R - Kevin Horne - Chief Executive, NWES; Cllr Tony Hall - Chairman, Harlow Council; Richard Ellis - Chair, EEDA, Rt Hon Lord Peter Mandelson - Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform; Rt Hon Bill Rammell - MP for Harlow & Minister of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs; Cllr Andrew Johnson - Leader, Harlow Council; John Spence OBE - Chair, Harlow Renaissance; Sir Michael Hodgkinson - Chair, Essex Business Consortium 

Lord Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform officially opened Harlow Enterprise Hub on 4 December. Over 140 guests listened to the Business Secretary discuss the future for small businesses and the importance of projects such as Harlow Enterprise Hub in supporting them.

"Small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy. We have to do everything we can to help them through the current global economic downturn and emerge from it stronger. Of course central Government has a role to play, but local action up and down this country is also crucial. That's why I was so looking forward to visiting Harlow and seeing the new Enterprise Hub, which should really help to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in the town."

Harlow Enterprise Hub, in the Kao Hockham Building, is the first initiative in Harlow to offer small and embryonic businesses office space alongside bespoke business advice and support. To achieve this Harlow District Council secured £3m of funding from EEDA and £2.8m from the Growth Area Funding round II (GAF II) from DCLG. Under the project management of Harlow Renaissance, a 1960s office block was acquired and refurbished to provide 55 quality units for new and developing enterprises.

Photo: L to R - Cllr Tony Hall - Chairman, Harlow Council; Dr Hockham; Mrs Hockham; David Adlington - Director of Inward Investment & Business Competitiveness, ExDRA

Guests enjoyed a reception and speeches from Lord Mandelson; Sir Michael Hodgkinson, Chair Essex Business Consortium; Richard Ellis, Chair EEDA; Andrew Johnson, Leader Harlow Council and John Spence OBE, Chair Harlow Renaissance.  Also present was Dr George Hockham, one of the two researchers after whom the building is named. Dr Hockham and Professor Kao were responsible for the invention of Fibre Optics Telecommunications technology in Harlow in the early 60’s.