Street and a Half Project creates brand new creative and social business incubator space for St Helens

Article date: September 9th 2024

The aptly-named new 'Street and a Half' building (SnA for short!) runs up Haydock Street and round the corner onto Bickerstaffe Street in the town centre (formerly the Catapult Building), and will now be reimagined by socially-trading organisations and partners from across the Borough.

The SnA project is the culmination of almost two years of St Helens Borough Council and Kindred working together - alongside St Helens socially-trading organisations (STOs) and a range of partners to develop a new offer for the social business sector that will help support and increase the growth of the already vibrant social economy across the Borough.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as the lead authority.

The new space is designed to support and nurture social businesses and start-ups. Everyone from active travel cycling businesses to re-cycling fashion projects; from health and wellbeing projects like community garden projects to projects that are supporting young people in the borough; from cake-making businesses looking to employ local people to local artists, designers and makers looking for studio space are invited to make SnA their new home.

The handover event saw over 40 people in attendance - all keen to take a first look around the building. They were well looked after by the team from local STO, Café Laziz, which works to support the Borough's refugees and asylum seeking community. It uses food and education projects to bring people together, and provided fantastic hospitality with a range of homemade cakes and refreshments on the day.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Anthony Burns, was in attendance to offer his support for this project. He says: "We're delighted to have handed over the keys of this site to Kindred LCR who have a brilliant vision to revitalise this part of our town centre and provide great start-up and social enterprise groups the chance to develop and grow. While much focus is on the town centre transformation, projects like this are just as vital to our plans for inclusive growth, giving businesses at all levels the chance to shine."

Deputy Chair of Kindred, Helen Heap says: "SnA is a great demonstration of the work Kindred is embarking on, bringing buildings back into community use, through STOs. We know that 68% of the STOs we have invested in have an unmet property requirement that may restrict their growth, and this innovative plan from St Helens Borough Council shows what it's possible to achieve in partnership."      

Cllr Groucutt said: "Kindred LCR have done fantastic work across the region in supporting social businesses that not only provide vital services for the communities they're based in but also giving something back to them too. This fits in perfectly with our Inclusive Growth Strategy and the funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is helping to fund this transformational space in the heart of St Helens town centre that will also provide a great social place for people to work and collaborate."

Christine Spriggs, Kindred Place Lead and Creative developer for SnA for Kindred, says: "We're delighted to now be working in partnership with St Helens Borough Council, local STOs and other partners to develop a fantastic new opportunity for local people who want to set up or who are already running a social business, to be supported to rent space at Street and a Half. It's all part of Liverpool City Region's growing social economy - one that supports businesses that trade commercially but do good for their community. If you're interested in renting a unit, or one of our flexible spaces, taking up our affordable managed room and desk hire offer or if you're looking to run workshops, hold meeting or use one of our new events spaces then SnA could be for you!"

Next steps include an 'open house' event on Tuesday September 24; the official opening of the building on Thursday September 26 and a family-friendly street party to celebrate the new development on Saturday September 28.

To view the space or get involved, please email emmab@kindred-lcr.co.uk for more details.