About Us

The Enterprise Centre is a registered Charity and Company Limited by Guarantee and also operates as Naturally Enterprising from our now purpose built outdoor education centre which is situated in the heart of The Kirklees Valley Trail.

Naturally Enterprising is an initiative that combines enterprise training and personal development with the natural environment. Our purpose is to build capacity and develop confidence for those in need and we do this by encouraging individuals to access the many benefits of nature whilst contributing to the development of local community green spaces.

We host innovative, creative enterprising projects using a combination of the great outdoors, nature and conservation, enterprise skills, equine therapy, health and well-being coaching, teamwork and confidence building to help young people develop their self esteem and aspire to great things for themselves and their communities.

Using a range of small grants last year we helped in excess of 200 individuals of various ages, many of whom are suffering from a range of issues which can be detrimental to their well being. All activity takes place at our new safe, purpose built Lodge which now has a 15 metre training room/ workshop, 4 stables to house our equine therapy ponies and a small office for private coaching and one to one mentoring. All of this has been built on small grants and many volunteer hours.

The site is situated in the heart of The Kirklees Valley trail and so offers a further 20 acres of woodland for delivery of our earth education and environmental programmes.   Our delivery styles are action-focused, user-led and include a range of exciting techniques including creative media, equine therapy and outdoor learning activities.  

In support of our training workshops we can deliver coaching and mentoring through one to one and virtual means using Video CON, MSN, Skype and other technology.

Our History

  • 2018

    • Successful Children in Need “Curiosity” bid.
    • Community Café re-opened with a new pavilion for indoor eating.
    • Junior Board established.
    • Developed ideas for Secret Garden Project with the Community and Junior Board.

  • 2017

    • Secured support from the Asda foundation and set up a Community Café at The Naturally Enterprising Centre.
    • Tony Lloyd project continued and in all 105 beneficiaries went through it.

  • 2016

    • Secured National Lottery Support to help complete the facilities at The Naturally Enterprising Centre.
    • Hosted a EU project visit with 6 European partner states in attendance and many local social entrepreneur ambassadors.

  • 2015

    • Hosted an open day with 200 visitors and senior council officials.
    • Secured a European contract with 6 European partner states developing an online social business support model.

  • 2014

    • Secured a 25-year lease, broke ground and began building The Naturally Enterprising Centre.

  • 2013

    • Re-positioned and re-built the Naturally Enterprising project with National Lottery funds.

  • 2012

    • Created the Naturally Enterprising project, combining the benefits of nature and enterprise.
    • Established as a registered Charity.

  • 2011

    • Hosted the Manchester Achievers conference in Oldham.

  • 2010

    • Delivered the Enterprise highway model in 10 schools in Oldham.

  • 2008

    • Re-constituted as The Enterprise Centre limited CLG.

  • 2007

    • Developed the enterprise highway model under contract with Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and delivered enterprise education to 3 schools in Oldham.

  • 2006

    • Moved to Oldham to manage the New Start contract, which created 25 new enterprises.

  • 2005

    • Entered a partnership with City College Manchester.
    • Delivered business support on behalf of Manchester Enterprises and developed MSEF into Together Works.

  • 2004

    • Co-developed the Manchester Social Enterprise Forum (MSEF) with MERCi.

  • 2003

    • Entered into partnership with Community Action Network and developed The Enterprise Centre project, which was the first Social Enterprise incubation centre in Manchester.

Trustees

Associates

Projects

Naturally Enterprising
The Enterprise Academy
European Projects

Services

Business Development

We support entrepreneurs and anyone wishing to start a social enterprise and/ or micro business. We can provide Nationally Accredited courses tailored to your needs to develop the management and leadership skills required to achieve success. We do this by: 1.Planning your start-up 2.Managing your growth 3.Mentoring and business coaching

Community

Our services to the local community are all focused on working towards development, integration and cohesion and we have a proud record of successful previous projects. These include providing incubation services and capacity building programme for new and existing entrepreneurs. The Outreach Project and The Capacity Building Projects were commissioned by the Local Authority to develop a range of new skills within diverse ‘at risk’ and ‘hard to reach’ groups. Finally, the design of a Skills Ladder that included motivational and aspiration raising approaches to learning for young people from areas with low skills and high unemployment.

Consultancy

We deliver strategic business and action planning for public, private or third sector organisations to help them achieve sustainability and growth. Our services for SMEs will help them improve competitiveness and impact on the bottom line. Examples include Full Business Appraisal; Project Management; Board/Director training; Staff/Volunteer training; Marketing planning and Strategic Planning.

International

We help you to find international project partners through our extensive networks, and then help develop projects and build applications for funding supported by Erasmus Plus, EU Structural Funding and other sources of European and international funding.

Education

We were one of the first support organisations in the UK to offer creative and intensive support to schools seeking to integrate and embed enterprise solutions into the curriculum. We achieved this by working with schools and the awarding bodies to design new qualifications to assist staff and engage students in a simplified process so they may gain maximum achievements.

Environmental

The Enterprise Centre is now based at The Naturally Enterprising Centre on the Kirklees Trail in Tottington. We work to deliver training and volunteering opportunities to support young people into employment, vocational training and economic empowerment. We also run a wide range of environmental projects that maintain and enhance the local habitats and ecosystems and run Earth Education activities.

Contact Us

Telephone

+44 (0) 7977 472756

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The Enterprise Centre

The Naturally Enterprising Centre, Kirklees Lodge, Garside Hey Lane, Bury, BL8 4LT

Our Partners

Registered Address

6 Beryl Avenue,
Tottington,
Lancashire,
BL8 3NF

Information

Charity Number: 1146938

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Alison Hornsby

Founder and Managing Director of The Enterprise Centre with over 25 years experience of enterprise and education both in the design and delivery of a wide range of capacity building projects for the public sector. Alison is passionate and focused on innovative and practical client led enterprise development projects. She is the author of the only QCA approved stand alone Project Management Qualification and designer of a number of other enterprise accreditations at level 2, her work was recently commended at The National Leadership Conference. She is a influential player and designer of new initiatives for enterprise delivery at all levels. Alison is committed in building neighbourhoods and as such all the projects she is involved with have a community capacity building underlying theme.

Allan Lawrence

Allan Lawrence has previously worked as the International Business Manager at Blackburn College, Walsall College and Hopwood Hall College, where he worked to recruit international students,and develop Joint Education Projects with partners from around the world achieving income targets in excess of £1m for each college. Allan has also operated as a consultant in the field of education and training and has worked as a lecturer and manager in further and higher vocational education for over 30 years. He was the Project Manager at Salford University for the project to establish the Salford Innovation Park.

At Salford University, he specialised in progammes of training that developed entrepreneurship, creativity and business skills. He has been involved in projects with Salford and Manchester based small business NGO’s and Manchester’s growing social enterprise sector.

During most of his career he has been involved in the development and management of a large number of international education projects within the European Union, Russia, India, Africa and the Far East. He has also worked as a consultant for the European Union, assessing applications for funding on behalf of the EU’s Lifelong Learning Programme. Dr Allan Lawrence has been an EU Assessor for over 15 years.

Dannielle Hornsby

Co-founder of the Naturally Enterprising project and Trustee of The Enterprise Centre, Dannielle is a Fully Qualified teacher and ICT Leader at Heap Bridge Primary School. She brings educational experience as well as a passion for outdoor learning and equine therapy. Her knowledge on child safeguarding and all other related protocols and practices are up to date and she passes this on to the rest of the organisation.

Jonathan Phillips

A Senior Manager at Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council focusing on economic development, business and enterprise, employment, skills and training, external funding, European policy and regeneration. Jonathan is enthusiastic about getting people back to work and contributing to his community. He currently manages the operations of Get Oldham Working. They have created close to 3,000 employment related opportunities, including 1,500 jobs, 450 apprenticeships and 190 paid placements. His youthful wisdom, networks and role of responsibility as a public servant brings strategy and focus to The Enterprise Centre.

Dave Wright

Dave is a successful small business owner who has an array of experiences spanning 40 years working with trainees and apprenticeships from start to completion. Using skills he has acquired over many years he now acts as an inspector and assessor of gas safety across Greater Manchester on behalf of a few major installers of heating services. Dave brings a practical yet sometimes wild card approach to the board with his diverse experiences in life and business.

Paul Halfpenny

Paul is one of two directors of The Northern Social Investment Group and an associate of The Enterprise Centre. He has an MA degree in Social Enterprise and is qualified as a Corporate Treasurer in Public Finance, so has a solid technical training relevant to social investment. His particular interests include risk management and impact measurement systems, and the use of these in Outcomes Related Contracting. He has twenty years experience in the social enterprise and charitable sectors.

Sam Malik

Founder and Chief Executive of Square 1 studio Oldham and The Workshop Leader. Sam has twenty years’ experience working with and transforming the behaviour of disadvantaged youth in Greater Manchester. He uses multimedia projects to engage his audience and coaches them using a variety of techniques and therapies in order that they can achieve personal success. His particular interest is using creative writing techniques to create verse which he then uses to produce songs or monologues as a testimony for life. Sam is also involved with The Enterprise Centre co- delivering on The Step Up to Success course.

Patrick Lawrence

Patrick has recently graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Sound and Video Technology. Since his graduation and with help from The Enterprise Centre he has founded a digital media company – PatrickRichardMedia. It works with a range of organisations and individuals helping them to create and transform their digital media portfolio and online platforms. He is also a Director of a 3D modeling and printing website, CadPad. With his insightful knowledge of the modern world and current trends, he keeps The Enterprise Centre’s online platforms up to date whilst also creating their digital media content.

Steve Ralf

Steve has a very wide ranging portfolio of social enterprise support and development. A qualified Social Enterprise Business Adviser and with an MBA, he has worked in drug and alcohol services, disability, international development, construction, catering, recycling and many other areas. He has worked as sole entreprenuer, business partner and broker in developing more than a dozen social businesses both in the UK and in Africa. Among his many successes is the establishment of Inklusive CIC, a social enterprise ink company which has grown in its frst three years to a high six-figure turnover social enterprise, formed from both private and social investment.