Midland Language Centre scoops top county Longford enterprise award

A business with a 47 years history was selected as the winner in the Longford Local Enterprise Awards (LEO) 2023. The awards are an opportunity to celebrate and reward some of the county's most outstanding small businesses.

The Midland Language Centre in Longford town was picked as the winner of this year's LEO Award and now goes forward to represent the county at the National Enterprise Awards.
Midland Language Centre follows in the footsteps of Cirtex Ltd, the Longford company who won a Green/Sustainability Award national award last year.

Accepting the award at a ceremony in PV's last Friday Director Angela Brady praised her staff for their contribution in building the business: “I would say the team of people we have around us, those 12 people, made this possible. They know their jobs, each is an expert in their own area. We listen to their feedback and are open to change.”

Winners Midland Language Centre provide homestay programmes for international students coming to Ireland to learn English. Originally established in 1976 by Clodagh Brady the Centre is a market leader. Angela spoke of the challenges presented over the years: “My mother-in-law started this business. She was a very vivacious, entrepreneurial woman. Obviously the Language School was very affected by Covid, so we had to adapt and innovate.”

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The Longford based company matches students from across Europe with host families and places them in language programmes in over 120 schools across Ireland.
“We have a belief in the service we provide,” Angela said as she accepted the award, “It's a high quality programme and we are very proud to do what we do. The students are our clients, but equally so the host families are our clients.”

The Language Centre operates all year round, placing over 2,000 European students on a range of programmes across the country.
Students are integrated into local schools for their learning experience. Programmes vary in length from one year to shorter courses, including two to four week summer programmes with many activities and camps offered.

The County Longford Enterprise Awards is sponsored nationally by the network of Local Enterprise Offices and is the only national competition specifically for the micro-enterprise sector.
Angela commended the wider Longford community who have helped build the business in the last 47 years: “This is an award not only for us, but for the host families and the service and care they show the students.”

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The award ceremony was hosted by former RTÉ Midlands Correspondent Ciaran Mullooly. Among the guests at the County Longford Enterprise Awards were Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Turlough McGovern, Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon, Director of Services Barbara Heslin, Longford Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Gerry Hagan and Ballymahon Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Paul Ross, Deputy Joe Flaherty TD and Senator Micheál Carrigy.

Last year the Longford county winner scooped the Green/Sustainability Award. Cirtex created a closed-loop manufacturing business that upcycles the materials from duvets and mattresses, most of which are imported, to be reused in new products.

Owned and operated by David Garland and Richard Early the duo Manufacture an extensive range of technical non-woven wool, fibre and foam products for multiple upcycling textiles. The Dublin Road firm were acknowledged for their national achievement last Friday.

Midland Language Centre will go forward to represent County Longford at the National Finals to be held in the Mansion House, Dublin, June 1, 2023, where there are further prizes to be won.