skip to main content
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Text size:

Ballymena Business Centre Ltd

  • Status

    Received: on time

  • Income

    £471.0K

  • Spending

    £404.5K

Charity no. 101472 Date registered. 20/04/2015

Public benefits

The public benefits that flow from the purpose of urban and rural regeneration (object 1) are:- (i) The promotion of an enterprise culture within the Mid and East Antrim District Council footprint with a particular focus in the Ballymena area; (ii) Create awareness of enterprise opportunities within hard to reach groups including – unemployed,

those facing redundancy, young persons, women and ethnic miniorities. (iii) Create awareness of enterprise opportunties within hard to reach communities including – neighbourhood renewal areas and areas at risk. (iv) Enhance knowledge about the opportunities of entrepreneurship, by providing education, training and mentoring to enable residents to start and run a business or a social enterprise. (v) Develop sustainable infastructure and the physical environment within the community that will support the infastructure needs for residents to start and run a business or a social enterprise. (vi) Achieve the creation of employment, training and experience through business start up opportunities for residents, and in particular within hard to reach groups and hard to reach communities. These benefits can be evidenced in records kept by Ballymena Business Centre and organisations that have supported enterprise initiatives managed and delivered through Ballymena Business Centre. Records include details on project interventions, beneficiary profile, project output and job creation. Evidence can also be found in evaluations carried out by enterprise and economic development statutory organisations. The public benefit through interventions by Ballymena Business Centre are also evidenced by outstanding performance and recognition awards persented to Ballymena Business Centre by Invest NI, Social Enterprise NI and Ballymena Borough Council (1st April 2015 Mid and East Antrim District Council). The public benefit that flows from object (2) focuses on creating awarness, enhancing knowledge and education on the importance of entrepreneurship, enterprise development and the creation of sustainable jobs, thus reducing poverty and promoting wealth creation. This benefit can be evidenced by data held by Ballymena Business Centre and enterprise and economic development statutory organisations. No harm and only limited private benefit arises from either of these two objects. Ballymena Business Centre has created jobs within the company and from time to time will bring in outside business advisors for the delivery of enterprise programmes and fulfilment of charitable objectives. The social impact, beneficiary impact and voluntary contribution by far outweighs any limited private benefit. This is evidenced through voluntary hours, recognition awards and social impact study on completion of Strategic Plan. Beneficiaries are provided with business advice, enterprise programmes, training and meeting rooms and exhibiton space at no charge ensuring that services are accessible to the hard to reach groups and hard to reach communities. Beneficiaries are provided with enterprise workspace on favourable terms [easy in / easy out short term tenancy agreements] to encourage the creation of new businesses. Rent free and additional enterprise incubation support is provided to hard to reach groups and hard to reach communities.

What your organisation does

Ballymena Business Centre manages enterprise workspace hubs to support the creation of new and developing business. Workspace facilities are let on favourable terms with a minimum of 3 months notice. Town Centre test trading opportunities are provided at no charge for a period of 2 months and business support advice through Ballymena Business

Centre. The management and delivery of business support programmes including Go For It, Town Centre Retail Ready Initiative, iCANpreneur, Start Up Seed Fund, Enterprise Roadshows, World of Work Partner, 4i Innovation and Innovation Seed Fund. Meeting and Exhibition Space is offered at no charge for events that promote and encourage entrepreneurship and regeneration. Involvement in the community through voluntary representation on local economic and enterprise development organisations including Enterprise NI, Michelin Development, Manufacturing Task Force, Neighbourhood Renewal Economic and Skills Group, MEA Innovation Partnership.

The charity’s classifications

  • The prevention or relief of poverty
  • The advancement of education
  • The advancement of citizenship or community development

Who the charity helps

  • General public
  • Unemployed/low income
  • Voluntary and community sector

How the charity works

  • Advice/advocacy/information
  • Community development
  • Community enterprise
  • Economic development
  • Education/training
  • Relief of poverty

This display is a broad summary of the charity’s financial information. For a full understanding of the charity’s finances, the reader should view the PDF accounts and reports under the Documents tab above.

Income

£471.0K

Spending

£404.5K

Charity accounts & reports for financial year end 31 December 2023

Independent examiners report Charity accounts Trustee annual report

Charity accounts & reports for financial year end 31 December 2022

Independent examiners report Charity accounts Trustee annual report

Charity accounts & reports for financial year end 31 December 2021

Independent examiners report Charity accounts Trustee annual report

Charitable purposes

The Charity's objects shall be the promotion for the public benefit of urban and rural regeneration in the Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus areas and their environs (the "area of benefit"), being areas of social and economic deprivation, by all or any of the following means: (i) relief of poverty in such ways as may be thought fit; (ii) the relief of unemployment in such ways as may be thought fit, including assistance to find employment; (iii) the advancement of education, training or retraining, particularly among unemployed people, and providing unemployed people with work experience; (iv) the provision of financial assistance, technical assistance or business advice or consultancy in order to provide training and employment opportunities for unemployed people in cases of financial or other charitable need through help: (i) in setting up their own business, or (ii) to existing businesses; (v) the promotion and support of social enterprise and sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration; (vi) the creation of training and employment opportunities by the provision of workspace, buildings and/or land for use on favourable terms. (2) Advance education for the public benefit by raising awareness and increasing knowledge of the importance of economic enterprise, entrepreneurship and enterprise sustainability, in particular among members of local community groups and young people.

Governing document

Memorandum and Articles

Other name

Ballymena Business Centre
  • 9 Trustees
  • 5 Employees
  • 0 Volunteers

Contact details

Public address

  • Mrs Melanie Christie Boyle, 62 Fenaghy Road, Ballymena, BT42 1FL

Trustee board

Trustee
Mr Jim Briggs
Mrs Mary Hamilton
Mr Pj Mcavoy
Mr James Perry
Mr John Stuart
Mrs Audrey Wales
Mr Paul Livingstone
Mr William Carson
Mr Alastair Martin

List of regions

  • Mid And East Antrim Borough Council
Export to CSV PDF version