A new business offering healthy meals, snacks and shakes to-go for those keen to shed some pounds ahead of the summer months. Health Hut North West, based on Market St in Wigan town centre, is preparing for its official opening on Saturday 4th May following support from Wigan Council’s invest in Wigan team. The healthy eatery is predominantly a take-out service but does have limited seating available.

Darren Maxfield and Ben Moore from Orrell and Pemberton respectively, have always had aspirations of running their own business and last year, they made their dream a reality.

After the duo contacted the council, they successfully applied for £2,000 from the authority’s Business Booster pot and were put in touch with the Business Growth Hub who also offered start-up business support. Speaking of this partnership working, Darren said: “Contacting the Invest in Wigan Team was one of the best decisions we made. The support we have had from them has been instrumental in getting us to the position where we are today. We cannot thank Wigan Council enough for believing in our idea and supporting us every step of the way.”

The launch will have live music, free food samples and guest appearances from the world of Super League. Darren added: “We are really looking forward to the opening and are very proud to open our business in our home town.

“We have always had an interest in health and nutrition. Our aim is to provide high quality food that is healthy and good value. We are committed to establishing ourselves as a business with a good reputation making the healthy option the easy option.” Health Hut NW is now one of almost 400 companies now signed up to Wigan Council’s Deal for Business, which is a relationship between the council and local businesses to work together to build a stronger borough.

In return for local business people working with the community and supporting council initiatives, the council can provide financial support, training guidance and help with the legalities of running a company.
Tricia Evans, economic development service manager at Wigan Council said: “It’s our job to inspire people to step out of their comfort zone and help them create a business that is relevant, sustainable and most importantly, successful.

“Developing skills in local people, inspiring young people from the borough to think about a range of careers and encouraging people to work and invest in Wigan Borough are key priorities for us. “We look forward to continuing to support Health Hut on their journey and strive to help even more people make their ambition a reality.”