The right plaice at the right time 27.05.2009
A twenty-two-year old man from Pendle is now the owner of a high frying chippy after receiving support from the Get Set team at No Limits.
Lee Holt employs eight staff to work at Holt’s shop on Scotland Road, Nelson, to cope with the high demand for his traditional fish and chips.
Taking over the chip shop was not what Lee set out to do, but he was presented with an offer he simply couldn’t refuse.
He said: “I’ve worked in fish and chip shops since I left school and when my old boss retired the business got taken over and I was out of a job.
“Last May I approached Schofield butchers on Scotland Road to see if there were any jobs available, only to find out that the owner had bought the vacant chip shop next door and was looking for someone to run the business,” he said.
Admittedly, Lee didn’t know the first thing about how to run a business so as soon as he was told about No Limits Get Set programme, he went along to Pendle Enterprise Trust to speak to an advisor.
No Limits Get Set offers tailored start-up support, complete with ideas development, one-to-one advice with accredited business advisors, workshops and access to finance.
The former Walton High student said that he wouldn’t have been able to open the business without the grant, as the old chippy needed a complete refurbishment.
“The grant has been invaluable; the old fryers had to be ripped out and have now been replaced with brand new equipment,” said Lee.
Bert Greenhalgh, Lee’s advisor helped him to construct and present a business plan, explained and guided him with all the financial legalities of running a business, introduced him to useful workshops and helped him to market his business.
“No Limits has helped me achieve so much, especially at my age, and for that I’m very grateful; I love being my own boss and more importantly; I love going to work each morning,” he concluded.
No Limits Get Set project leader, Rona McFall said: “We are so pleased that we could help Lee and are really pleased to hear that Holt’s is doing so well.
“Bert is still in regular contact with Lee to check up on the business and will continue to assist him with any problems or queries he may have in the future,” she added.
The young owner is a big Burnley fan and this is reflected in his ‘claret and blue’ themed chippy – there is a claret frying range, blue floor, claret counter and all uniforms are claret and blue.
Lee uses fresh produce and only uses vegetable oil for frying his food. Holt’s takeaway is open Monday to Friday 11.30am – 1.30pm and 4.00pm – 7.00pm.
Get Set is funded by No Limits which has secured an initial £30m of government funding to regenerate the Pennine Lancashire Economy through supporting new and growing businesses, creating up to 13,000 jobs and 4,000 companies over the next decade.
No Limits is a partnership which includes Lancashire County Council, the local authorities of Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn and Pendle as well as Burnley FC, Accrington Stanley and Blackburn Rovers.
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