Burnley-based system supplier VEKA plc, has eagerly taken on a new opportunity to help promote its hometown.

The Burnley Bondholder scheme is bringing together local businesses to support the growth and development of the area as a sophisticated centre of education and industry. The town is changing and creating opportunities for itself, with the region's first university and college campus; the area's biggest business park development and an educational improvement programme on a scale greater than anywhere else in the country.

As a bondholder, VEKA will be able to join with other businesses to influence public sector agendas, lobby government for further investment and shape future investment in Burnley.
Members of the Bondholder scheme will have the power to change negative perceptions of Burnley, influence how the town is portrayed in the national media and promote it as a place where more businesses will want to be based in the near future. The membership is, in effect, a powerful network made up of informed, influential people who understand the link between success for Burnley and success for business.

In August last year, the Financial Times described Burnley's evolution: “Burnley has opened a new chapter... It is surrounded by moors that attract walkers, bikers and tourists and has a highly skilled manufacturing sector. There's a university campus for the first time that will educate a new generation of engineers. All schools are being rebuilt, the town centre is being refurbished and houses are being pulled down and replaced with new.”

VEKA's Brand Manager Rebecca Mayhew explains, “As a major local employer, VEKA plc has always shown its commitment to the community. Not only do we make regular charitable donations to local causes but we also welcome all kinds of organisations and schools to tour our production facilities. The local police cadets even use VEKA's premises for their weekly meetings and practical sessions.

“The Bondholder scheme offers us another way to demonstrate our pride in the local area and its amenities, hopefully encouraging more businesses to follow our lead and establish in and around Burnley.”