Celebration thanks all involved in mentor scheme
A number of participants on the award-winning mentoring programme run by Blairgowrie-based GrowBiz enjoyed an informal celebratory get-together recently.
Organised by community enterprise support organisation GrowBiz, the event marked four years of the mentoring programme, which has gone from strength-to-strength since it was first established in 2014.
The GrowBiz mentoring programme is a network of trained mentors with a particular interest in small businesses who volunteer their time to guide and support other local enterprises.
A member of the Scottish Mentoring Network, it provides an opportunity for clients to discuss and work out what they would like to achieve in a supportive, safe and confidential environment.
Alan Garrett is the mentoring programme co-ordinator and also an enterprise facilitator for GrowBiz.
He said:“This event was all about saying thank you to everyone involved in the programme.
“All the individual efforts by the mentoring team and the volunteers make a huge difference to the rural economy.
“GrowBiz is helping to increase employment in rural Perthshire, thereby enhancing the rural economy, and the mentoring programme, which currently has over 70 participants, plays an integral part in that.
“And it’s a win-win situation for everyone. The mentees benefit from being challenged, from focussing and
The GrowBiz mentoring programme team are (from left) Ruth McLaren, Jennifer Lindsay-Finan, Alan Garrett and Clair Smith
prioritising, and developing new personal skills and abilities, while the mentors learn about other business sectors and enjoy the personal satisfaction of seeing their mentee flourish.”
GrowBiz client Leila Mayne from Perthshire is a mentee on the programme. She said:“I had no idea about how to run a business.
“When I got involved with GrowBiz I had a one-to- one session and attended events and training sessions, and through that the team assessed that I would benefit from having more one-to-one time and being on the mentor programme.”
Emma Arblaster is a GrowBiz mentor and she explained how rewarding being involved with the programme is, commenting:“Seeing your mentees achieve what they are wanting and needing to achieve is hugely rewarding.
“Everyone has something to give and I would definitely recommend being a mentor to others.”
Both Emma and Blairgowrie resident Aileen Stackhouse were presented with certificates at the event to mark their completion of the GrowBiz mentoring training programme.
The mentoring programme has received a number of awards including the Scottish Mentoring Network Best Business Project in both 2016 and 2017.
If anyone would like to find out more about the mentoring programme or is interested in getting involved, either as a mentor or a mentee, please contact Alan on alan@growbiz. co.uk or Clair Smith on clair@growbiz.co.uk.