News from Sajeimpact and partners
Thanks to Henham Strategy and Nick King I’m looking forward to a roundtable today looking at the potential for sports tech to be a real economic driver for the UK. We in Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership have a role to play in this economic opportunity.
The Generator Loughborough , located on Packe Street, is due to open on Friday, 24 April and will become a central hub for performances, exhibitions, and community engagement.
Our Director Andy Reed OBE was in London this week.
Speaking Up for Leicestershire at Westminster
This week I was back in Westminster to ensure Leicestershire’s voice is heard at the highest levels. I met with Ministers Lord Vallance, Blair McDougall and Mistry Fembuklah to raise the ongoing challenge facing our county: securing fair funding while we remain outside the current wave of combined mayoral authorities.
Our discussion focused on the need for clarity, equity and long‑term investment so that Leicestershire isn’t left behind as national policy continues to evolve. I emphasised the strength of our local partnerships, the ambition across our communities, and the importance of ensuring that non‑mayoral areas can still access the tools and resources required to deliver meaningful economic and social impact.
SajeImpact will continue to champion Leicestershire’s case — working with local leaders, national stakeholders and sector partners to make sure our county remains firmly on the map
Thanks to Chris Shaw and Positive Communities Partnership for the invitation to listen, learn and set out the work of the Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership.
I have taken away a strong reminder of the area of work I used to do in the 1990's in employment initiatives to tackle inequalities and help those further from the Labour Market and why these groups are still so important.
The Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership came together again this week to plan its future direction whilst the sub-region waits for its Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation outcomes over the next two years.
✔️ I am happy to accept the invitation from the Leicester City Council City Mayor and the Leader of Leicestershire County Council to continue to Chair the Board through to 2028 and hopefully the next phase of our devolution journey.
An interesting evening with colleagues from Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the House of Lords to hear about the latest plans and updates from Great Central Railway for their Reunification project. Thanks to Baroness Morgan for hosting us all.
📈 The Reunification project has been making steady progress in the background for years, but it is now reaching a critical point.
Each week I am highlighting good people I meet along the way and some of the great things they are doing to make the world a better place.
🏉 Initially it has been about young entrepreneurs, and community leaders. But this week I want to celebrate the long contribution my friend and colleague John Byrne has played over the last 20 years with the (now) Active Together here in Leicestershire.
👊 Thanks to Tim Garfield John took a risk on the local MP joining the old County Sports Partnership Board as its Chair in the mid 2000's and neither of us would guess that in 2026 it would be John retiring first!
Thanks to Scott Knowles and the team of the East Midlands Combined County Authority for the invite to this years Business Awards in Leicester.
Obviously I am there to observe - I never quite had an Award Winning Business!! I’ll come back to the purpose of Saje Impact some time…
Time to tackle the under representation of girls entering some of our growing economic sectors in Leicestershire.🙏Thanks for the invite to Charnwood Campus Science Innovation and Technology Park as part of hashtag#nationalcareers week to see the launch of our Leicester and Leicestershire Business and Skills Partnership “We Discover Industry”
Thirty years ago I helped win regeneration funding for Loughborough. Yesterday I saw the results of the latest £50m investment.
My first experience of Loughborough Town Regeneration was as Chair of the Economic Development Committee in 1995 with Charnwood Borough Council. That is when we won the Single Regeneration Budget, where Martin Traynor OBE, FIH, MIoD and I first joined up on a Committee! Thirty years later we are still going in our new capacity with the Loughborough Town Deal Board as Chair and Vice Chair again!
