BIG BUSINESS IN BROADSTONE

What is a business? My dictionary defines it as "a commercial house or firm" and as "one's regular occupation, profession or trade". If one is looking for a business in the Broadstone area, a very good starting point is the "Trade & Professional Directory" which appears regularly in this magazine. I have always found this to be a very useful list and often refer to it when I need someone who can fix, repair, fit, supply or advise me when I have a problem or want to make a change at home.

Many of the entries in the directory are for one man or family businesses - operated from a private address where a spare bedroom has become the office and a garage or shed is the storeroom. They provide a personal service and a lot of expertise but they are not big businesses. On the next stage up are the businesses which operate from commercial premises or shops. They may still be local family concerns though they may have links with similar businesses over a wide area.

The list contains many local branches of national and international organisations such as banks, building societies and food retailers. They may have quite a few employees though not all will be full time. Our Doctors' Surgeries must be near the top of the list for big businesses operating within the boundaries of Broadstone.

Of course, there are plenty of big businesses just beyond our borders, and probably most of us are happy for them to stay beyond our borders! However, there is one big business which does not appear in our directory - I refer to the education business. In Broadstone, we have two First Schools, a Middle School and an Upper School (officially situated in Corfe Mullen but right on the boundary) which are all big businesses.

A small school, such as Broadstone First School, has 11 full-time teachers backed by 11 part-time teaching assistants, office staff, a caretaker and about 18 part-time support staff plus numerous unpaid voluntary helpers. It has an annual budget of over £700,000. Corfe Hills School has all the accommodation and facilities needed for 1600 students. It has more than 100 teachers backed by a very large support staff. It has 450+ computers, all with broadband internet access and another 80+ laptop computers. Corfe Hills School has an annual total expenditure of over £5,000,000.

Now that is a Big Business.

Don Rogers, Hon. Education Officer

Archive Winter 2004 | next

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