East Lothian Means Business
On Thursday, October 24th, the ESES Communities team had a great day exhibiting at the East Lothian Means Business event at Eskmills Venue in Musselburgh.
The event started with a session on the East Lothian local economy strategy and the council’s approach to Community Wealth Building. It was followed by a preview of the new ‘Invest in East Lothian’ website and a Q&A with an expert panel.
The team had a successful day meeting local businesses and getting the opportunity to network with other exhibitors and we have detailed some highlights and links below.
Angela Lamont – Community Wealth Building Officer for East Lothians Council, presented East Lothians Local Economic Strategy. The new strategy for 2024-2034 is built around five key principles that the council and its partners consider fundamental to the area’s economic future:
- Fairness
- Enterprising
- Thriving and Resilient
- Community Wealth Building
- Green and Sustainable
You can view it here:
East Lothians Local Economic Strategy
There was some discussion around ‘plural economies'. Locally owned and socially minded enterprises are more likely to employ, buy, and invest locally. An example was given for Haddington regarding using the locally owned café, The Loft, vs. Starbucks. Money spent in Starbucks will be extracted from the local area. You can see The Loft's list of suppliers here as an example.
Matthew Foulds - Economic Development Officer at East Lothians Council, showcased the new ‘Invest in East Lothians’ website. The site is for anyone looking to grow a business. You can find out more here.
Q&A with an expert panel
We heard from local entrepreneur Simone Poole of Jerba Campervans, who spoke about his company's journey to employee ownership. It is now 100% employee owned.
The panel was asked questions about the transport barriers in this region and East Lothian's reliance on private cars, and there was a discussion about the conflict between protecting and developing the countryside.
Local businesses and organisations mentioned throughout the session were:
Bridges Project: A charity who work with young people in East Lothian and Midlothian.
Forge and Equip: A creative social enterprise that combines practical training opportunities with bespoke fabrication in East Lothian.
Brose Oats: An East Lothian based company with a mission to produce the world’s very best oat milk (from oats they can trace right back to the field where they’re grown). Committed to creating local jobs, providing training and work experience for the disadvantaged and disabled, and shining a spotlight on Scotland’s farmers.
Logan Energy: Based in East Lothian, has 25+ years of experience starting off in fuel cell systems and transitioning to hydrogen in that time.
PYRUS: A specialist botanical design studio and Victorian walled cut-flower garden in East Lothian.