FSB marks Silver Jubilee at City Hall

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Guests from the worlds of politics, business and commerce gathered at City Hall, Belfast recently to join the Federation of Small Businesses as it celebrated 25 years in Northern Ireland.

The Silver Jubilee Dinner marked the business organisation's first quarter century here and charted its successful journey from just 31 members to over 8,000 as it established itself as THE voice of small business in Northern Ireland.

Using local products and produce from a variety of FSB members, the invitation-only night was one to remember and featured a range of guest speakers including The Rt Hon Mr Peter Robinson MLA, the popular economist and author David McWilliams and the FSB National Chair John Walker.

Speaking at the event, John Friel, FSB Northern Ireland Regional Chair, said:

"The FSB in Northern Ireland is both proud and delighted to be celebrating 25 very successful years in Northern Ireland.

"Throughout the years the Federation has provided the definitive voice for small businesses here and has been instrumental in influencing the policies and legislation that affect these enterprises at local, regional and national level. This milestone is a tremendous achievement when you consider the very humble origins of the organisation".

"Challenging and difficult times lie ahead for all businesses but the FSB remains as committed as ever to ensuring the best policies and practices are in place to protect and nurture the entire small business sector".

"We were particularly pleased that both public and private sectors supported the event and Belfast City Council, Invest NI and Ulster Bank deserve particular credit for investing in the celebration of such an important occasion".

Speaking about their support for the event, Ulster Banks' Head of Regional Business Banking for Northern Ireland, Ian Jordan added:

"We strongly value our relationship with the FSB in Northern Ireland and were delighted to support the celebration of this significant landmark. At Ulster Bank, we believe that it is the dynamism and ingenuity of small businesses that will lead our economy to recovery. We are committed to working closely with the FSB and its members to support small businesses in Northern Ireland. Their contribution to our economy is both valuable and necessary and we look forward to working together over the next 25 years. "

FSB National Chair John Walker addresses guests at the FSB Northern Ireland Silver Jubilee dinner