Community Action Wirral, Wirral Chamber of Commerce and The Lauries have teamed up to create Wirral’s first Community Campus which will be an HQ for Wirral’s Community & Socially Focused Businesses.
The Community Campus project is transforming The Lauries Centre in Birkenhead to create a modern space for community organisations and businesses to collaborate, inspire, relax and get work done.
From executive-level training & conference facilities, office space, mezzanines full of break out space, refreshments and ideas boards to a home from home lounge area with TV’s & retro music facilities. You’d be forgiven for thinking Google had opened a centre in central Birkenhead.
The Community Campus at The Lauries Centre has grown from strength to strength and will support existing community & socially focused businesses from charities, businesses and social enterprises already based here including Whitechapel, Kareplus, Wirral Supported Living, ReachOut Support, JF Recruitment, VIGO IT Solutions, EXCEL Housing, Life Long Learning and many more.
Putting social justice at the heart of our local economy has become a major priority for Wirral & the wider city region. Wirral Chamber of Commerce & Community Action Wirral have been trailblazing on this for years.
The two organisations have formed a powerful coalition, collectively representing the voices of tens of thousands of organisations and businesses in Wirral.
Wirral Chamber and Community Action Wirral have been working hard to bridge the gap between our private & third sector and have made significant wins from the development of a sector board, cross-sector networking and the pooling of resources to share expertise and the delivery of support.
Warren Ward, Director of External Affairs & Social Economy at Community Action Wirral & Wirral Chamber said: “This new space will help transform our community business sector in Wirral. Providing a platform to socially focused organisations and businesses to collaborate and grow. We want to grow this space further and potentially role out this model across Wirral and beyond.”
The woman behind all of this change is Wirral Chamber’s CEO Paula Basnett and says she wants to support businesses & socially trading enterprises to bounce back:
“We are investing significantly in developing an HQ for our Community & Business leaders to collaborate and grow. We believe passionately that our private and third sector can make so much more of an impact when they work together, this has been evidenced by the fantastic collaboration to support our most vulnerable people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Wirral’s first Community Campus will support our socially trading enterprises to bounce back as quickly as possible.
We have the drive and ambition to help shape a more socially focused economy in Wirral, working in direct partnership with Wirral Council and key political leaders. I am confident we will deliver it.”