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We are encouraging all businesses to take our survey which will help us continue our support of the local business community and identify areas in which we can increase and improve upon for the difficult year ahead.
The responses we receive will go a huge way to shaping our economic recovery plan which we hope will reflect the needs and hopes of our businesses. The survey will only take 5 minutes to complete
If you are an Allerdale business owner and would like to contribute please click here.
We are encouraging eligible local businesses to apply for government grants made available to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are a number of government backed business grants on offer and more information on each of them is available on our website: https://www.allerdale.gov.uk/en/coronavirus/coronavirus-business-grants-claims/.
Businesses are encouraged to check which grant is available, they’re eligibility and what, if anything, they need to do to access the money. There is financial support available for particular restriction periods since 5 November 2020, and some of the grants are only available for specific business sectors – such as the £1,000 payment to support wet-led pubs in the area.
We recently opened up applications for the Local Restrictions Support Grant (open) fund which is designed to help those in the hospitality, accommodation and leisure sectors affected by the restrictions imposed under Tier 2 which were introduced during the period of 2-30 December.
We hosted our first meeting of the new North Solway business forum on Wednesday which several of our local businesses attended.
The meeting was intended to be an introduction to what a business forum should be, using the great success of Cockermouth Chamber of Trade and Keswick Tourism Associations as examples of what these forums can bring to the local community. We are also in the process of setting groups up in our other towns of Maryport, Workington and Wigton.
The idea of the groups is to bring local businesses together to focus on representing the concerns of firms, providing a networking forum, developing joint initiatives, supporting recovery from Covid-19 and working with other organisations such as Allerdale Borough Council. All groups will be chaired by someone within that local business community.
Anyone interested businesses in Wigton and Workington should contact Toni Magean, the council’s Business Engagement Manager, on toni.magean@allerdale.gov.uk.
Those in the northern Solway Coast area should contact Joe Broomfield, Tourism Development Manager, on joe.broomfield@allerdale.gov.uk.
Our quarterly tourism breakfast briefing has been organised for Friday 12th February.
We will be hosting the event with our colleagues at Copeland Borough Council and will have talks regarding both local authorities tourism projects, information on planning and development rights of motorhomes sites and an update from Gill Haigh, Director of Cumbria Tourism. We will also have a member of our policy team, who will be taking you through the grants process to ensure you get the right grant, first time.
If you would like to join us, please see sign up details below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkcOGorj0tEtWm6xttMVF1z1CB0iNb1dsM
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
The High Sheriff of Cumbria, Julie Barton, is launching the High Sheriff of Cumbria Covid-19 Business Innovation and Community Awardsto recognise the incredible ways businesses across Cumbria have confronted the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020.
The communities of Cumbria rely on their businesses and these awards aim to thank, acknowledge, and celebrate those business teams who have supported others, and demonstrated great adaptability and resilience. Cumbrian businesses can apply and anyone can nominate a Cumbrian business.
If you’d like to apply for the award or nominate a business simply download the application form below. More information can be found on the High Sheriff's website here.
Community groups in West Cumbria have received a share of £130,000 from the Cumbria Community Foundation.
Charitable organisations have received a share of the funds at a recent West Cumbria Grants Committee.
The money came from funds set up by local people and businesses including Lord Egremont, Lamont Pridmore, LLWR and Thomas Graham & Sons Ltd.
With UK unemployment figures at a record high amid the Covid-19 crisis, TEGVirtual CIC, with the support of £16,976 from the Beverley Charitable Trust Fund and Live the Dream Fund, will be offering training to young entrepreneurs affected by the pandemic.
Keith McMean, founder and group director at TEGvirtual, said: “The funding will allow 20 young people to access our Entrepreneurial Programme, supporting 16 to 25 year olds in Allerdale and Copeland. It will give young people in our community the opportunity to develop their own business ideas with the aim of actually setting up a business in West Cumbria, not only impacting on our learners on the programme, but impacting on our community and economy.”
To apply for a grant or for more information, visit www.cumbriafoundation.org or call a member of the grants team on 01900 825760.
Cumbria’s schools are appealing to local people and businesses to donate laptops for use by school pupils who are now learning from home due to lockdown.
The Cumbria Alliance of System Leaders (CASL), which brings together senior school leaders from around the county, has issued the appeal after research by schools showed around 1500 children and young people do not have access at home to the ICT equipment they need to fully participate in home learning.
While the Government has committed to providing more laptops to children who need them, experience so far is that delivery has taken considerable time. But pupils have an urgent need for equipment right now.
Donated laptops can be new or used but must be fully functional, meet a minimum specification, and have all data wiped before donation. All laptops will be checked before they are then loaned to children who need them.
The minimum specification is:
- Laptop, not PC.
- Intel Dual Core i3 processor
- 4GB RAM
Anyone who thinks they can support this appeal should visit cumbria.gov.uk/laptopsforschools for information on how to donate.
Made Smarter: the journey to digital manufacturing conference is being hosted on the 10th March. Ever wanted to adopt technology but don’t know where to start? Started your journey and want to develop your digital strategy further? Learn from other UK manufacturers about how to adopt technology into your business. To register, click here.
Join a brilliant panel of speakers at the Industry, innovation and investment in the North webinar on Thursday 28th January. In partnership with the Northern Powerhouses Investment Fund the discussion will focus on not only the challenges to funding innovation in the North but the solutions they've found. To register, click here.
North West England Parliamentary Export Programme - During this session, businesses will receive tailored updates from HMRC and the Department for International Trade on exporting after Brexit.
In the North West region there are 20 available events, with 'Workington' hosted by MP Mark Jenkinson being the closest one for West Cumbrian businesses. To be eligible for these events and to ensure relevance, please note that your business address must be located within the constituency event you are registering to. To register, please click here.
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