Rochdale Ambassadors promotes investment in town
A new private sector board has been set up to promote Rochdale as a destination for businesses by working in partnership with Rochdale Council.
The new board is chaired by David Bottomley, owner of Rochdale AFC and national toy business Asobi. Other members of the board include Richard Tang, founder of Zen Internet, Julian Appleyard, principal of Rochdale Sixth Form College and Steve Rumbelow, chief executive of Rochdale Council. Companies also represented are Tetrosyl, Nomical, Rochdale Hornets and Hanson Springs.
The ambassadors hope to use their business connections and influence to boost investment in the town and work with the council to make Rochdale a key part of growth in the region.
Bottomley said: “In recent years lots of people have commented that our voice isn’t getting heard, that we don’t sell ourselves very well, that we don’t seem to have a simple story explaining what we’re all about and what we’re trying to achieve as a place; that there’s no shared sense of ambition for Rochdale.
“What we do know is that we need more visitors, more jobs, better jobs and especially jobs for young people and to have any chance of achieving that we need a stronger, more compelling story as to why people and organisations should consider Rochdale as a place to be – especially businesses, investors and visitors who will be considering many different places.”
Richard Tang said: “The new board is about bringing the people and businesses of Rochdale together so that collectively we can achieve more for Rochdale. Challenges such as the recession and the banking crisis have changed the world for ever and just like any organisation, places like Rochdale know that they have to compete hard if they are going to prosper in the future. Standing still in business is never an option and it’s the same for towns, cities and boroughs like Rochdale. Our future has got to be based on the whole borough progressing together, improving, getting better at doing things, working harder and smarter – and everyone has a role to play in helping it do that.”
The board is now planning an event outside Rochdale to promote the town to investors and developers.
- Join Place North West for an event discussing M60 Towns Development, 27 April – click here to book
