Baggy Shanker MP, the Member of Parliament for Derby South, visited Derbyshire Community Bank on Friday 17th July to learn about the bank’s work to support access to fair financial services across Derbyshire, and hear about how local SME leaders in the county are benefitting from a 90% government-funded leadership programme.
Derbyshire Community Bank was founded in 2006 and is a not-for-profit co-operative that is ‘owned’ by its 7,000 members. Last year, it merged with Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Credit Union as part of its ongoing aim to provide high quality, fair and community-focused financial services, while promoting financial wellbeing for people living and working in Derbyshire.
During the visit, Baggy Shanker MP met with Ola Timeyin, Finance Operations at Derbyshire Community Bank and a recent graduate of the Help to Grow: Management Course, alongside Orla Kelleher, Senior Lecturer and Help to Grow: Management Programme Leader at Derby International Business School.
The visit provided an opportunity for the Derby South MP to learn more about how the programme has strengthened problem-solving skills and helped contextualise day-to-day operational challenges within the wider business strategy. This has transformed how Derbyshire Community Bank approaches loan arrears, including identifying vulnerability earlier, improving how cases are assessed and managed, and considering the wider support members may need.
The Help to Grow: Management Course is a 90% Government-funded programme designed to help SME leaders develop the skills and confidence to grow their organisations. Delivered by Small Business Charter-accredited business schools across the UK, the 12-week course combines practical learning with one-to-one business mentoring and peer networking. Independent research has found that 92% of surveyed course completers report improved confidence in their ability to lead and manage their business.
Derby International Business School has been delivering the programme since the Help to Grow: Management Course launched in 2021. During his visit, Baggy Shanker MP heard how the business school has supported 260 small business leaders across Derby and the surrounding areas to complete the programme, helping local SME leaders to strengthen their leadership skills, improve resilience, and build more productive businesses.
Baggy Shanker MP commented: “Small businesses and co-operatives are essential to Derby’s economy, and the people behind them should have the chance to develop their skills and strengthen their organisations.
“That is why the Labour Government is investing in Help to Grow: Management, which gives those running small businesses access to management training and mentoring. At Derbyshire Community Bank, I heard how the course has led to changes in the way it supports local people, including recognising sooner when someone may be struggling and needs extra help. It is a clear example of government-backed training being put to good use here in Derby.”
Ola Timeyin, Finance Operations at Derbyshire Community Bank said: "As a community-focused lender, we treat all our members with dignity. Aligning that with our business objectives, the Help to Grow programme enabled me to see the bigger picture; the importance of partnership working with trusted organisations to both support our members to achieve greater financial confidence and long-term resilience and operate a successful savings and loans business."
Orla Kelleher, Senior Lecturer at Derby International Business School and Programme Leader for Help to Grow: Management at Derby Business School, added: “We’re proud to have supported 260 local business leaders across 13 Help to Grow: Management Course cohorts. This visit highlighted how forward-thinking SME leaders like Derbyshire Community Bank are using the knowledge, tools and confidence gained through the programme to upskill their teams, build organisational capability, and equip their businesses for future success. We’re excited to see local businesses in Derby continue to thrive and evolve, and we look forward to welcoming our next cohort in September.”
The next Help to Grow: Management Course at Derby International Business School starts in September 2026. You can find out more and register your place on the Help to Grow: Management Course website.
About Help to Grow: Management:
Help to Grow: Management is a 12-week course designed to support business leaders and their senior managers to increase resilience, innovation, and growth within their organisations.
Developed and delivered by the network of Small Business Charter accredited business schools, the course is available in more than 60 locations across the UK and is 90% government funded. It is designed to fit around existing work and personal commitments, providing business leaders with more than 50 hours of online and in person training including 10 hours of one-to-one mentoring. Individuals completing the course automatically join the Alumni Network, where they have access to exclusive events, content and partner offers, as well as the support of a UK-wide peer network.
The Small Business Charter (SBC) empowers small business success through its network of expert business schools. Developed 10 years ago by Lord Young, the previous Department for Business, and the Chartered Association of Business Schools, the SBC was established to signpost entrepreneurs, small businesses, and local economic stakeholders to business schools in their region with the expertise to help them thrive. There are 67 SBC accredited business school centres of excellence across the UK which are trusted partners of local stakeholders and the national government to deliver effective leadership and productivity programmes and small business support to drive economic growth.