James Brown's grandfather founded his fledgling business in 1904. In the decades that followed he had a reputation for generosity and ‘Browns’ is still widely recognised as a company that continues to give something back to the East Belfast community.
He joined the business in 1960 and during that decade the transition to the third generation of the family took place. It was important to maintain that ‘giving back’ tradition in various forms and more recently the current owners established a Community Fund to provide £20,000 in 2022 to support a number of worthy initiatives.
In addition to his role in the business during the 1970s and 1980s and beyond he became involved with a number of organisations including East Belfast Mission, East Belfast Partnership (Eastside Partnership), Nothern Ireland Association of Mental Health (Inspire Wellbeing) and Skainos.
Read more: Eastside Awards opens for entry with new categories for 2022
"In recognition of the part he played in East Belfast I was presented in 2017 with the Eastside Awards Outstanding Contribution Award which meant more to me than words could have expressed," said James.
"I was humbled to have been the first person nominated by the Eastside Awards committee for this award on behalf of the community and I shall be forever grateful."
"The Eastside Awards is a truly first-class initiative which has recognised many organisations and individuals for outstanding achievements and contributions in the east of the city. It has encouraged entrepreneurship and creativity across different sectors. It has been a tremendous success and I would encourage those in sectors such as volunteering, business growth, health and wellbeing and community impact to submit entries in this seventh year of the Awards."
Nominations for the Eastside Awards close on Friday, to find out more info click here.
READ NEXT:
Eastside Awards nominations open for Favourite Eatery in East Belfast
Eastside Awards nominations open for Favourite Teacher in East Belfast
- Eastside Awards nominations open for Favourite Classroom Assistant in East Belfast
Belfast hairstylists on taking the plunge and launching chic new salon in challenging times
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.
