All Eyes are on Lisburn Castlereagh – Council Driving Forward Economic Vision

June 13, 2017

All eyes were on Lisburn Castlereagh today (13th June) when the first-ever ‘Made in Lisburn Castlereagh’ event opened its doors to the public showcasing the area’s leading businesses to its ratepayers, the local business sector and students.

Welcoming guests to the event the Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Brian Bloomfield, MBE said: “It is rewarding to see how the Council has worked with the local business community and support agencies to create this wonderful celebratory event. Nowhere else will you see so many local businesses under the one roof to educate and inspire everyone visiting today. We are the first Council in Northern Ireland to host such an event and I have no doubt that others will follow in our footsteps.”

Chairman of the Council’s Development Committee, Councillor Uel Mackin, explains: “This event is part of the wider investment programme the Council is driving forward to help grow the local economy.  Our efforts are paying off and we are starting to see the results with Lisburn Castlereagh now firmly on the map as an area for business and investment. We are ideally located on the main Belfast to Dublin economic corridor with excellent infrastructure and broadband speeds.  There is a tangible confidence and with the announcement by Barclays that Lisburn Castlereagh is Northern Ireland’s Number one investment hotspot together with the Department of Education revealing that pupils in the Lisburn Castlereagh area were most likely to go to University in 2016, there has never been a better time to display the strengths and opportunities in our area.”

Chief Executive of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Dr. Theresa Donaldson, commented: “Home to world-class manufacturers such as Coca-Cola HBC, Boomer Industries, Assa Abloy, Spanwall, Smiley Monroe, Decora Blinds and Montupet UK and fast-growing SMEs such as Hughes Craft Distillery, McGreevy Engineering and Helios IT, Lisburn Castlereagh has a fantastic and inspiring business base.  The aim of our Made in Lisburn Castlereagh event is to let our local businesses know that we are extremely proud of them.  The Council will continue to provide platforms like this event to show the rest of Northern Ireland, and indeed a wider international audience, that we have the best location for business and with our business-friendly attitude anything can be achieved.”

The Made in Lisburn Castlereagh event saw 30 of Lisburn Castlereagh’s leading business exhibit in Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn and top names from the local business community were treated to a preview before opening the doors to the public.  Over 400 local school children visited the exhibition who were able to gain inspiration from the Entrepreneurs exhibiting and also learn of future career opportunities.

It is hoped that the Made in Lisburn Castlereagh event will be an annual event adding to an already packed calendar of business and investment events for the Council. 

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council is the only Council from Northern Ireland to host an annual high-profile business networking event in Westminster and will also exhibit at MIPIM UK, London in October.  All these events are designed to promote the area as Northern Ireland’s premier investment location.

Special thanks to all businesses who have taken part in the Made in Lisburn Castlereagh showcase and special thanks to our event sponsors, Assa Abloy, Industrial Temps, Invest NI, McGreevy Engineering, SERC and Smiley Monroe.