In 2010 after a career in manufacturing and the construction industry, Debra Holliday found herself being made redundant from her job as a Site Manager.
As a local woman she had always liked the idea of perhaps one day running her own business in the Billingham area, so she started to look around and she found ‘Munchies’ a hot and cold sandwich bar for sale in Mill Lane, Billingham.
Munchies has been there for a number of years and Debra was convinced that with its ideal location and good parking, she could make it into a popular place for locals and passing trade. She approached Five Lamps and initially met Deborah Shanley, Five Lamps Enterprise Coach who helped her to identify some of the key actions needed and signposted her onto Stockton’s Enterprise Gateway programme.
Deborah also booked Debra onto some free Five Lamps Enterprise Gateway workshops looking at issues such as finance and marketing, where she gained a lot of valuable knowledge and met other people who were also in the early stages of starting up their own businesses.
Working with Chris Butler, Five Lamps’ Senior Business Development Officer she produced a strong business plan which helped her access start-up funding from Stockton Council’s Communities Fund. Five Lamps run Communities Fund on behalf of Stockton Council to support people who are unemployed.
Debra opened for business in April 2010 and Munchies was reborn. Debra said recently
“It’s going really well. I love seeing my regulars and new customers every day and I’m really chuffed at being awarded the Stockton five-star food hygiene rating within three months of opening”
Five Lamps run Communities Fund on behalf of Stockton Council to support people who are unemployed. The Enterprise Gateway is delivered by Five Lamps on behalf of Stockton Borough Council.
The Enterprise Gateway project is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, securing £380,643 ERDF investment. The ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-2013 is bringing over £300m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region.