THE boss of an organisation that helps bring businesses closer to the community has urged firms to “get involved”.

Community and Business Partners (CBP) chief executive Amanda Meachin said her firm, a £1million-turnover publicly funded organisation that covers East Lancashire’s six boroughs, could help companies become more socially responsible.

And she urged East Lancashire businesses to support CBP’s regular employer forums if they want to become more influential in ‘decision making’.

CBP say the meetings, held across the region, are a valuable way for company bosses to air their views on major schemes to public sector leaders.

Mrs Meachin said: “I would say to companies that if they want to develop and they want to be more valued in decision making that will affect their businesses, we can give them that opportunity. If they want to get involved in a community level, we will do that too.” CBP cites recent major improvements at the Whitebirk roundabout, off junction six of the M65 in Blackburn, as an example of the influence of forums. Business bosses used the meetings to air their views on the scheme, leading to changes in the road layout to alleviate congestion.

But Mrs Meachin stressed that CBP, founded in 1988 and now run out of the Blackburn Enterprise Centre in Furthergate, offers many more services.

Its Sam’s Scrap Store, currently based in Ordnance Street, Blackburn, but set to move to Roman Road, passes on unwanted stock from companies to schools and community organisations.

And its Guardian Angel scheme, in which which experienced bosses go into struggling firms to dole out pearls of wisdom, now has 130 volunteers.