The new facility, supported by investment from the Council and Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER, provides the community with flexible meeting and workspace, and super-fast connectivity.
Councillor Margaret Brisley, convenor of Stirling Council’s Finance and Economy Committee, said: “Developing the rural economy is a key priority of the Council and our programme of new business hubs across the Stirling area is an important part of this strategy.
“The rural community can’t always benefit from the same infrastructure available to city businesses, so we are committed to supporting and creating new spaces such as the Drymen Business Hub.”
Local access for local businesses
The new hub has been spearheaded by local ground care and garden equipment supplier, Fraser C Robb, who will operate the facility located above the company’s showroom. In late May, it successfully hosted its first event: the Business Gateway Rural Tourism Conference.
Fraser C Robb director, Lorna Robb, said: “We initially saw the potential for creating new meeting rooms above the showroom and thought that they would be ideal for local businesses to use.
“Once we went public with the idea we were inundated with support and this inspired the creation of Drymen Business Hub.
“The Business Gateway event was fully subscribed and went so well that Business Gateway will now be regularly using the facility for their advisors to meet new business start-ups in our area.
“Our thanks go to Stirling Council and FVL LEADER as their funding has been critical to the hub’s creation and its early success.”
A win-win for everyone
Chair of the LEADER Group, Douglas Johnston, said “The Local Action Group were really taken with the community-minded approach of Fraser C Robb, who were keen to develop a facility that other local businesses and community groups could benefit from too.
“This makes the business hub a strong fit with our ‘Strengthening the Local Economy’ objective as well as our ‘Sustainable Communities’ objective, as creating accessible meeting rooms and business hub facilities on the outskirts of Drymen means it’s no longer a necessity to drive into Stirling or Glasgow to access mainstream business facilities. A win-win for everyone involved.”
Harness the potential in rural Stirling
The opening of the facility follows the launch of the Strathard Business Hub in September 2018. Based in the centre of Aberfoyle, it has already seen 12 businesses sign up as fee-paying members, with a number of partner projects also underway.
Vice convenor, Cllr Alison Laurie said: “This is an opportunity for businesses in Drymen and the surrounding area to get together and harness the potential in rural Stirling.
“I hope our offer of support is seized upon by the local community, and they turn this into a thriving space of activity and creativity.”
Picture details and background info:
The Drymen Business Hub has been part-financed by Stirling Council, Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER Programme 2014-2020 and the Scottish Government through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development as part of the Scottish Rural Development Programme. Europe Investing in Rural Areas.
48% of Stirling’s population live within the rural area, 47% of its businesses are based there, 43% of the local authority area’s Gross Value Added (GVA) is generated in rural areas (value - £482 million) and 13,500 people are employed there – accounting for 41% of all jobs in Stirling.
Pictures show Lorna Robb, one of the directors of the Hub, addressing guests at the recent launch event. Photos should be credited to Drymen Business Hub.