DarwenCreates

At the heart of the Academy is the presence of an Entrepreneurship Bridge, which consists of eleven office pods which will be offered to local young people and community organisations in order to run start-up ventures.  Be these businesses or social enterprises, the Academy will provide support and mentoring in running a business, as well as providing facilities and meeting spaces.

The Bridge was made possible due to £750,000 grant funding from LEGI, and has been designated an Enterprise Haven for the North West.  The impressive Bridge over the atrium houses eleven incubator pods designed to support business start ups and social enterprises in Lancashire.  We are primarily providing this support to young people aged 16 – 25 and to increase their chances of success would not be charging this group rental fees. Instead the pods will be sponsored by partner organisations.  It is expected that the offices will be used for one to two years, at which point successful businesses will move away from the Bridge to their own accommodation.

Known as DarwenCreates, the Bridge will provide much needed space to allow young businesses to grow and flourish within the town, and is key to our aim of reinvigorating the local economy within Darwen.  The Bridge is central to the entrepreneurship specialism at the Academy, and students will be encouraged to use it and to meet and work with those running businesses.  The visibility of DarwenCreates is key to its aim of raising aspirations within the student population.

   Download a flyer to learn how you can use DarwenCreates.

The Academy also offers exciting opportunities for the sponsorship of pods, allowing founding sponsors to become patrons of DarwenCreates, with full branding, and the ability to hold an event each year at the Academy at no cost.  

   You can download a sponsorship proposal, and if you are interested in sponsoring a pod at DarwenCreates, please contact Sally Lawson-Ritchie or call her on 020 7925 7901.