FSB member celebrates a decade of empowering entrepreneurs

Local News 24 Aug 2022

Mersey Youth Support Trust (MYST), a charitable organisation that provides business support people who face barriers to conventional employment, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year.

MYST has spent the past decade working with Merseyside-based individuals, supporting local disadvantaged entrepreneurs get the education, business advice and the financial and technical assistance they need to grow and thrive.

Since its foundation in 2012, the support has been invaluable to businesses owners such as Karl Starkey, one of newest at MYSTs Kirkdale hub whose Thin Blue Line Group offers specialist training in policing, investigations and forensics; and has aided many who play an important community role, such as Karen Price of FACE Benefits Advice.

This year is already looking like one year to remember for MYST as it reviews, refocuses, redevelops, and relaunches its profile and objectives post-Covid.

In a year where a record 337 entries were submitted to the Steve Morgan Foundation 20th Anniversary Awards, MYST were awarded runner-up in the Best Entrepreneurial Charity or Social Enterprise Under £250k category.

The charity has to date supported over 225 businesses, which have created over 480 jobs between them. With its first decade ending so brightly, MYST has no plans to slow down, according to Centre Manager Kevin Lovelady.

“We came away from the awards feeling ecstatic,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the team - Laura Heneghan, MYST's admin and fundraising manager and Andy Farquhar, who provides us with bid writing support.

“As we move out of Covid restrictions, in the short to medium term, MYST aims to re-animate workshops, open days and other events to create an optimistic buzz in these uncertain times. We’ve also created our new monthly Community Coffee in order to connect with other local charities/organisations, promote their services and more.”

For all enquiries about MYST, contact Kevin on 0151 203 1140 or [email protected]

To receive updates about MYST’s initiatives, sign up at https://mymyst.co.uk/newsletter-signup/.