More than 60 exhibitors celebrate town’s innovation and resilience at Burgess Hill Means Business

The event took place at The Kings Centre, Victoria Road, from 10am last Thursday (May 15) and featured representatives from a wide range of companies and charities.

It also included some of the town’s largest manufacturers, like Time24 and HPC, as well as small and ‘micro’ businesses.

Richard Cox, chief executive of Burgess Hill Business Parks Association (BHBPA), welcomed guests and introduced Mid Sussex MP Alison Bennett.

Ms Bennett thanked BHBPA for the invitation, saying: “Today is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the innovation, resilience and community spirit that defines Burgess Hill. Burgess Hill has so much more potential to unlock.”

She said: “Today we come together to not only showcase products and services, but to celebrate the values that power our local economy. Values like creativity and collaboration and compassion. This event is a testament to how diverse and vibrant our local business and community landscape truly is. From forward thinking enterprises to grassroots charities, from education providers shaping tomorrow’s workforce to sustainability pioneers redefining industrial norms. Every corner of our society is represented here.”

She congratulated the area’s food and drink scene, highlighting Ridgview Wine Estate and Spirit of the Downs for showing that Sussex is ‘a place for world-class craft and taste’. Ms Bennett also praised charities like the Brighton and Hove Samaritans and Burgess Hill Pantry, calling them ‘lifelines for so many’.

She said: “What you see in this room, what you hear in every conversation today, is not just the sound of business being done. It’s the sound of a town investing in itself, in its people and in its future.”

After the event Richard Cox said BHBPA had seen ‘exceptional’ growth over the past four years, fuelled by its ‘very clear mandate’ and sense of purpose. He said BHBPA engages members directly and has been instrumental in improving the local business environment.

He said: “Burgess Hill Business Parks Association has, through funding sourced through its members, provided close to £60,000 to a number of educational initiatives in the past year alone. We’re also helping to shift the dial in improving the job outcomes of young people coming out of our local SEN colleges and we’re working collaboratively on a variety of sustainability programmes. Recently the association also submitted plans to resolve parking issues across Victoria Business Park, the largest business park in Mid Sussex.”

Ms Bennett said afterwards: “It was a real pleasure to attend the Burgess Hill Means Business Expo, meet local business and community leaders, and see firsthand the innovation that is happening on our doorstep, evident through the diversity and vibrancy of Burgess Hill’s business landscape.”

HSEnergey Group said at www.bhbpa.co.uk that the company was proud to be the headline sponsor of the 2025 event. A spokesperson said: “By supporting this event, we’re championing local businesses in their journey toward greater energy independence and sustainability.”

Some of the organisations attending Burgess Hill Means Business included: Burgess Hill Girls, St Peter and St James Hospice, Burgess Hill Academy Support Group, The Ridgeview Wine Estate, Next Step Apprenticeships, Rewards Training, Woodlands Meed School, LVS Hassocks, Mid Sussex Science Week, BSE Building Services, The Triangle, Aquapath and Travail Employment Group.