CULTURE and colleges were the order of the day, at a business breakfast that took place on Wednesday, April 20 in Sunderland city centre.
More than 50 business people attended Sunderland Business Partnership’s first breakfast meeting at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, housed in the city’s library, to learn more about Sunderland’s bid to become City of Culture 2021 as well as to find out more about Sunderland College’s plans to bring some 2,000 young people into the city centre when it opens its city campus in September.
The event which was opened up by Sunderland Business Partnership chair Gary Hutchinson, included talks from Sunderland 2021 Bid director Rebecca Ball and recently appointed college principal and chief executive Ellen Thinnesen, and was organised to bring together members of the business partnership, which is now 50-strong. It also included a tour of the Baldock, Pope, Zahle exhibition at the gallery, which is above the City Library in Fawcett Street.
Gary Hutchinson, commercial director at Sunderland AFC and chair of the partnership, said that the event provided a great opportunity to spread the word about some of the exciting projects getting underway in the city.
He said: “The breakfast event was a fantastic chance to ensure that businesses that are passionate about the city know about some of the key events and projects underway to make this an even better place to live, work, study and enjoy.
“Hosting it at some of the places in the city that are under-utilised and, essentially, are hidden gems, means that as well as sharing information at the events, we are also shining a light on some of the fantastic assets we have in Sunderland – many of which people who live in Sunderland may not have seen before.”
The breakfast is one of a programme of events organised for members of the Sunderland Business Partnership, which was set up to inject vibrancy into the city by creating a strong business voice that can share ideas and boost the area’s reputation. The partnership includes influential businesses from within and also outside of Sunderland.
Ellen Thinnesen, who shared her vision for the college’s £29m new city campus, said: “Sunderland’s cityscape is transforming and we’re delighted to be playing a part in that, by bringing what will be a game-changing new building to the centre of Sunderland.
“It’s fantastic to be able to share our story with a collective of businesspeople who care passionately about the city, and who we can work with to ensure that Sunderland is firmly on the map as an up-and-coming place to be.”
Sunderland Business Partnership empowers members of the business community to come together to tackle issues in the city, and to work with their teams to create a sense of interest and excitement about the work going on to make Sunderland a more prosperous place. The funding that the partnership scheme raises is used to deliver reputation-building campaigns that increase footfall in the city and help to promote Sunderland through events and marketing activities including Vibe Magazine, which is posted through more than 117,000 doors in and around Sunderland
Sunderland Business Partnership was founded by some of the leading businesses and organisations in Sunderland, and has successfully created a Business Improvement District for the city centre, operational since April 2014. The group has also played a leading role in helping to develop the Sunderland Enterprise Growth Hub, and founded the Vibrancy Group, a subset of the Business Partnership, whose members share a passion to celebrate and promote the things which will inspire the city to become a vibrant place in which to live, work, study and enjoy. The Vibrancy Group comprises the Bridges Shopping Centre, Gentoo, Sunderland AFC, Sunderland BID, Sunderland College, Sunderland Live, the University of Sunderland and is supported by Sunderland City Council, who are founding members of the collective.
To become a member of Sunderland Business Partnership or for more information on levels and benefits contact the team at Ashmore Consulting Limited on 0191 500 8585 or email mark.hodgson@ashmoreconsulting.co.uk