Rochdale’s newest co-working space officially opens its doors

Fire Up co-working space, located in the former fire station on Maclure Road in Rochdale, held its official opening on Thursday 11 May.

The 1930s historic building has been carefully restored as part of a £3.7m renovation scheme that included the Fireground Museum on the ground floor in the old engine hall. The project was led by Rochdale Development Agency.

VIP guests included Eamonn Boylan - chief executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Mayor of Rochdale - Ali Ahmed, Mark Hughes - CEO of The Growth Company, Janine Smith - director of the GC Business Growth Hub, Rochdale Development Agency, partners, colleagues from neighbouring local authorities, contractors who worked on the project and businesses who have already moved into Fire Up.

The co-working office space in the old ballroom, is designed for Rochdale’s community of start-ups, small businesses, freelancers and entrepreneurs and has eight offices, 18 hot desks and six meeting rooms available for long or short term lease.

 

 

Steve Rumbelow, chief executive of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “This is an exceptional new co-working space for Rochdale, and I am sure it’s going to be a massive success. A lot of the original features have been maintained and it’s a wonderful space. As one of the first parts of the ongoing development of the Station Gateway area, it's a great start.”

Eamonn Boylan, chief executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, added: “It’s great to see this co-working space open here in the heart of Rochdale. It’s a ground-breaking step for the town that will enhance the offer for small businesses and start-ups looking to make this their base. It’s also going to be really important as we continue working together to grow Rochdale’s economy as a crucial part of the Greater Manchester economy.”

 

 

The invited guests also heard from Janine Smith, director of GC Business Growth Hub, which has been appointed to manage the facility. She added: “It's very much about people that are based here and the facilities, with the great office pods, the meeting rooms, and the hot-desking facilities. It’s also about how we create a community of all the businesses that operate across Rochdale and how we bring them in here to access all the support that exists, whether that be through us as the GC Business Growth Hub or other providers.

“It's our absolute privilege to be doing this and we are really looking forward to doing more and to really help Rochdale businesses to move forward.”