DESPITE all that we are currently experiencing at the moment Carlisle Ambassadors continues to grow from strength to strength, recently welcoming its 200th member business, Explosive Productions Ltd, a specialist full event management company based at Kingmoor Park.
Currently, Carlisle’s residents and its business community face a shared crisis, one that has impacted nearly every facet of public life including the events and entertainment sectors. But despite these challenging times, people and businesses across the city have stepped up and are meeting the challenges we all face head on, adapting, reacting, and doing positive things for our collective good.
For over five years Carlisle Ambassadors has provided local businesses and entrepreneurs with an opportunity to build relationships, to share knowledge, to help grow the city and ultimately create jobs. Over the years it’s certainly performed its function, and during that time membership has grown steadily, and now more than ever it’s a true coming together of local businesses, businesses supporting each other in the face of hugely difficult circumstances.
We are seeing examples of companies across all sectors pivoting in order to produce PPE and other forms of medical equipment for our carers and NHS. Community groups have come together to distribute food to those in need, provide funding to struggling families as well as support and advice to those living on their own and isolated from loved ones.
Against that backdrop Carlisle Ambassadors and its partners, including Carlisle City Council have set out to help enterprises of all shapes and sizes, to signpost business owners to grants, loans and business advice, provide employees with advice and resources, and engage at all levels through regular zoom meetings, webinars, newsletters, by establishing online jobseeker support, virtual apprenticeships and much more including a number of focussed social media events.
Sid Sims, co-director and owner of Explosive Productions said: “We are delighted and honoured to be the 200th member of the Carlisle Ambassadors, it is extremely uplifting and motivating to be joining such a wide variety of successful and positive businesses. There’s no doubt that these are difficult times for us all. But if we work together as a community we will come through this together. I’m looking forward to the next time we as businesses can all get together and celebrate all that we are and all that we have achieved in the face of huge adversity. In the meantime, as we say in our industry “The show must go on…”
Michelle Masters, Carlisle Ambassadors project lead commented: ‘’We are thrilled to welcome Sid and Explosive Productions as out 200th member. It’s great to see businesses recognising the value of working together, even more so in the difficult times we are faced with currently. It’s abundantly clear that we are collectively stronger when we work together, times are hard but eventually we will come out of this and then we can once again shift our focus to further developing Carlisle as a place in which to live, work and visit.’’
If as a business owner you are feeling out of your depth and generally bewildered by what’s going and that you would benefit from some expert guidance, then we may be able to help. If you are looking for advice on any of the following: loans, grant funding, marketing or sales, contingency planning, cash flow, HR, planning, routes to market or even general business advice then please get in touch by visiting: www.carlisleambassadors.co.uk
Carlisle City Council Business Information
The City Council has put in place a number of measures to help which can be found by visiting: www.carlisle.gov.uk/news-and-events/coronavirus-9
