No room at the booming innovation centre

There are 25 businesses using the centre, with 14 on the waiting list.

From BusyMummy, which encourages teenage parents to re-engage with education, employment and training, to ElecSec, an electrical and security firm, the range of businesses involved is diverse.

There is also a student magazine, sign-language instructors and even a chiropodist.

Manager Leza Riley said: “The year has flown by. It started quietly, but now it is really buzzing. 

“The design and social aspect of the building makes a lot of sense, as there are such good opportunities for networking, which the businesses benefit a lot from. I’ve noticed a lot of friendships developing.”

The distinctive orange building, which sits in the grounds of the Marlowe Academy, is a £1.9 million venture, funded by the county council, Thanet council, East Kent Partnership, the EU Regional Development Fund and the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust.

The facility boasts 19 offices, six workshops of differing sizes and a boardroom to be utilised.

All of the offices are occupied to capacity, with businesses of varying sizes represented, while the café area hums with activity and the state-of-the-art fibre-optic broadband connection buzzes with information.

Many of those who are onboard work closely with students at the neighbouring school.

Profit goes back into operational costs, with surplus put into an endowment trust set up by
Mr de Haan, the school’s sponsor, to send pupils, who may not previously have had the chance, to university.

Students are benefiting from the expertise on site as the business-owners offer work experience to youngsters.

Leza said: “The centre looks out directly on to the school and is a constant reminder that these youngsters are our future.

“The small businesses who sign up as tenants here are committed to offering work experience in a number of ways and our own not-for-profit ethos means there will be a growing fund which will help finance local kids through university.”

Business Link, the publicly-funded business advice and support service, is one of the professional organisations running regular free workshops and one-to-one sessions for tenants.

Ms Riley said: “The centre is very much a start-up business, too, and our tenants have been able to use us as a business model.

“I organise professionals to come in and give talks to the tenants, which has been useful for them.

“HSBC and the Chamber of Commerce have both been in and the Business Link workshops, which are open to people from the community, have been much appreciated, too.”

• To find out more about the centre, visit www.marloweinnovationcentre.co.uk.