Morag Davis and Matt Guirdham MAKE IT IN PENDLE
One of Pendle’s greatest recent regeneration achievements took centre stage at the event.
Joycelyn Neve and Paula Gill with Richard Slater
She said: “We see ourselves as providing the fuel for businesses in Pendle, it is that talent and future workforce that keeps the furnaces going in Pendle.”
Paula Gill, chief executive of the Northwest Aerospace Alliance, and Joycelyn Neve, founder of The Seafood Pub Company, reinforced Pendle’s strengths.
Tim Webber and David Whipp
He said: “There’s a lot more to life now than sitting in traffic, we just feel like it’s a bit more of a community.”
He added “Pendle should focus on “brain gain” instead of brain drain and enticing people back now that are sort of mid 20s, who’ve spent a few years in the city or abroad.”
Morag Davis gave a deeper insight into the ELLG’s role as a bridge between employers and the workforce of the future.
Paula described the borough as “a Jewel in a crown and we need to actually start polishing that Jewel”.
Joycelyn emphasised the importance of cross sector working to strengthen Pendle’s offer. She said: “It’s the joined up approach and promoting the area for everything that we’ve got here.
“We all have a part to play in making it a place people want to come and live.”
Aneesa McGladdery, principal economic development officer at Pendle Borough Council, said: “Seeing over 65 Pendle businesses in the room at Invest in Pendle gave me the assurance that hosting events
Pendle is a place of potential, a place of opportunity, a place of ambition
She said: “Every time I go to an employer and listen to what they are saying, I take it back to the ELLG and we start planning and develop our strategy around that.”
She added that the Vision Board would become even more vital as local government and devolution reforms take shape.
like this is something that our businesses want and need.
“I am thrilled at the energy in the room, we have lots of unique businesses in Pendle, all contributing to the economy, from manufacturing to visitor economy, arts, and culture.”
It marked the handover of the £42m Northlight project which has been 10 years in the making since Barnfield Construction and Pendle Borough Council joined forces to create the facility.
In Pendle, we
don’t just talk about it – we do it
Pendle Borough Council bought Brierfield Mill for £1m in September 2016 and David Whipp said hundreds of local jobs have been safeguarded and more than 1,000 jobs have been created on the main building site.
The council leader added: “If we hadn’t taken the step of buying the building, I think we’d be looking at a derelict site.
“This is a demonstration of just how well we can work together as public and private sectors and I am so proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Barnfield’s Tim Webber OBE said: “It was a leap of faith and without working together, this could not have happened.
“A lot of people have been visiting from other areas, looked at this and said to us, come and do it for us.
“We have told them sorry, but we’ve done it here for Pendle, and that is it. It’s been 10 years of hard work, but we’ve all worked together.”
Councillor Whipp closed with a positive message: “You can make it in Pendle. Northlight is an example of what we can do jointly between the public and private sector.”
Venue: Park Hall Resort and Spa
Date: Friday
October 16 2026 Entries open soon
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Awards 2026
CONTACT US TO FIND OUT MORE
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