Growbiz hailed on 10th birthday
Swinney is full of praise for enterprise service
Scotland’s deputy first minister John Swinney has praised east Perthshire based community enterprise support service Growbiz for the part it has played in supporting the local economy.
Mr Swinney, the local MSP for the area, was speaking at a celebration held at the Red House Hotel in Coupar Angus last week to mark the 10th anniversary of the organisation.
Nearly 100 people were at the event, which as well as a talk by guest speaker Mr Swinney, also featured a panel discussion chaired by BBC Radio 4 broadcaster, Clare English, with Jenny Lyall of Agrivision in Burrelton, Paul Murphy, director business banking, Royal Bank of Scotland, Iain Scott from Can Do Places, Donna Murray-Trail, Perthshire Care and Wellbeing Cooperative and Tom Flanagan, head of economic development at Perth and Kinross Council.
And the celebrations kicked off with the premiere of a film by Kelly McIntyre showcasing the success of Growbiz over the last 10 years and some of the many businesses the organisation has helped in that time.
Addressing those at the event, Mr Swinney said: “It is a huge pleasure to be at what is a tremendous celebration of the achievements of Growbiz.
“One of the great opportunities of my job is getting involved in ideas at various stages of development.
“The beauty of Growbiz is that the idea wasn’t given to the community from on high, it emerged from the aspirations of the community and I want to pay tribute to the tenacity of those involved at the start.
“I was struck by Anna Bowman’s comments in the film that she wonders if she would have a business were it not for Growbiz.
“There is a significant effect on the economy that would not be there if not for Growbiz - quite simply the economy is better for it and it is right that the fact that the idea was seeded and grown here is celebrated.
“Growbiz has made its impact because it has been able to mobilise volunteers and has created a different form of working, a welcoming ethos where people are working in collaboration with each other to further the success of a venture, and encouraging more and more people to get involved.
“Companies such as Agrivision are an example of what Scotland needs more of, exporting internationally and contributing to the Scottish economy.
“The investment by Perth and Kinross Council and the Scottish Government initially took some courage as it was public money but Growbiz used that money with care and built something that is of benefit to the local economy - jobs, wealth and economic activity have come about as a consequence of that.”
Also attending the event was the Provost of Perth and Kinross Council and councillor for the Strathmore ward, Dennis Melloy, who commented that Growbiz had gone from strength to strength over the last ten years and that the founder members of the organisation should be commended for their innovation.
Catriona Rowan, chair of GrowBiz, added: “GrowBiz’s enterprise coordinator Jackie Brierton and her team have worked very hard to get to the point where Growbiz is now an example of good practice by the European Network for Rural Development, based in Brussels.”