It is often said that the simplest ideas are the best, and the story of Business Space Services is living proof of that old adage. Our success is built on a straight-forward approach to solving the problems any business might face by providing simple solutions. Swindon has low unemployment and is one of England's fastest growing towns. Its businesses have come through the recession and are now thriving.

If you are looking for the secret of Swindon's success you can find many of the clues in BSS House.

In 1984 the country was in recession and the once great Swindon railway works were facing closure.

The former Triumph International site on the Cheney Manor Estate was typical of many industrial premises of the time. It was owned by the NCB Pension Fund but had been derelict for six years. Few would have judged this the time or the place to launch a new project to get Swindon's industry back on track.

But Michael Metcalf saw it as the perfect opportunity. Having already created a similar venture in Staines, Middlesex, he recognised the potential of this outdated, post-war factory and office building. His simple idea was to transform it into adaptable and affordable units for small and new businesses. BSS would need to break the mould of traditional business premises letting.

The stringent requirements of conventional lease structures coupled with complex financial guarantees and long term commitments were making it difficult for even the most promising commercial ideas to get off the ground.

So BSS offered a tailor-made package for starter units on short, automatically renewable licences covering a minimum of six months. Fees paid on a month-by-month basis eased cash flow problems and no deposits were requested. It was enough to tip the balance and persuade many new businesses to "give it a go".

The project was welcomed by the Swindon Enterprise Trust, later to become Great Western Commerce and Enterprise (GWCE), and all local authorities and political factions. It was to prove highly successful and there are now many other organisations operating such schemes, including GWCE itself, and we are proud that BSS was the innovator.

Maureen Harvey, General Manager of the site, joined Michael Metcalf in January, 1985, and with very low capital investment available and minimum resources, they set about clearing the site. The brambles were cut away using whatever primitive means came to hand.

To begin with, facilities within the building were virtually non-existent. But in November 1984, Thamesair Limited braved arctic conditions, and moved into BSS House as the first licencee. The company remains trading to this day, albeit under a change of ownership, testimony to the original vision.