Workington Hall & Parklands
Workington Hall & Parklands Group wants more residents and visitors to experience and enjoy the Hall and Parklands. The Group would like to encourage everyone to give their ideas for events which could possibly run in December this year at Workington Hall and the parklands.
We're consulting with partners and have a consultation open for local people and businesses which is open until August 13th. The ideas will be considered by the Workington Hall & Parklands Group which has been set up to help guide the site's future.
Please have your say here: Your views
Digital Tech Cumbria Survey
Digital Tech Cumbria has recently launched a survey targeted at Cumbrian businesses in a bid to understand their digital tech adoption approaches, barriers to adoption and successes.
The programme will provide free advice and practical assistance to improve productivity, profitability, and performance. Businesses will also be offered a free 1-2-1 with a digital adviser where they can discuss how technology can enhance their performance.
For Digital Tech Cumbria to provide the best support, they would like to hear from businesses through this online survey. The survey will help identify how businesses currently embrace digital technology.
To complete the survey, please follow the link Digital Tech survey
More details about the programme can also be found at the end of the survey.
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Join our Allerdale Business Community Facebook Group
Keep up to date with the latest news, and join a network local business people. Click the image to join.
FSB News #MyHiddenGems campaign
Week 3 of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) #MyHiddenGems campaign.
The campaign aims to highligh great local businesses. To get involved just name or tag your favourite business with #MyHiddenGems. Shout about your favourite café, shop, pub or any venue anywhere that simply makes you happy, and share it!
Do get this great message out to your customers, clients and business circles and let's get some profile raising done for our wonderful Allerdale businesses! We know we have them.
Tweets or other social posts will then be promoted throughout the FSB’s social media and elsewhere to try to create a momentum of support for local companies.
Think we recognise a few local businesses featured in week 3's image
FSBLancsCumbria Facebook
FSB LancsCumbria Twitter
The Farmer Network - Support available to businesses
The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme (PFRP) offers FREE business skills training and advice to family farms in 15 locations across the UK each year.
The Farmer Network is facilitating three new groups around Kendal, Alston and near Newcastle starting this autumn. Contact the Farmer Network office on 01768 868615 or email: Veronica@thefarmernetwork.co.uk.
They will be providing information about this Programme at the Future of Farming meetings in August.
In partnership with the Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF), the Farmer Network will be one of the deliverers of Defra’s Future Farm Resilience Programme across the North of England. The scheme is designed to help farmers understand the changes during the agricultural transition, work through how they might adapt their businesses and access support. Starting this autumn, the package of support delivered by the PCF programme will include a series of workshops and one to one support.
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Deliveroo comes to Workington
Workington, Deliveroo is coming to you!
The options on delivery services in your area are expanding. Deliveroo is a rapidly growing, successful, food delivery service and it has now launched in Workington.
They are already partnered with 44,000 restaurants across the UK. Both with national chain companies and local stores.
This fantastic new launch has created 50 job opportunities for people in our area. But this is also a great opportunity for businesses to partner with Deliveroo to help boost their sales and reach more customers.
If you wish to partner with Deliveroo, sign up here: Deliveroo
A message from Cumbria Chamber
We at Cumbria Chamber of Commerce remain very concerned about issues around furlough. Any businesses who still need to use it have been put into an increasingly tougher financial position after the latest government changes to the furlough scheme came into effect last Monday. The latest changes, which can be read here, mean businesses will have to contribute at least 20 per cent of an employee’s wages, and up to 40 per cent if they’ve been able and willing to top it up, as many have.
A North-West regional break down of the British Chambers’ of Commerce latest Net Zero and Covid-19 Reopening Survey 2021 shows that 73 per cent of businesses in total that have used furlough in total will have to either make staff redundant, reduce staffing hours, scrap any recruitment/investment plans or seek further external support to survive due to these changes.
At the same time some businesses are struggling to get staff back off furlough and into work, and many businesses continue to be short staffed and struggling to recruit. So clearly there’s a good argument that unless there’s a real need for someone to be on furlough with a realistic prospect of a job to go back to, they should be back at work if there’s a job there or made redundant if there’s isn’t – putting them into the pool available to recruit from.
Elsewhere, recently colleagues have been highlighting some helpful tips for businesses in the retail sector, which you can read here as well as here.
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Messages from Cumbria Tourism
 Help us analyse visitor behaviour
Our activity and business support relies on an in-depth understanding of who our visitors are - their backgrounds, interests, priorities and future plans.
With many new faces looking to enjoy Cumbria this summer we're working to ensure our annual visitor survey, supported by the Lake District National Park and Lake District Foundation, is reaching a large and representative sample.
We appreciate that now is a busy time but every visitor who completes our short survey helps us better understand how we can best support you and your business.
To make the process as easy as possible we have created a range of downloadable resources as we ask you to:
• Print and display our QR posters around your business
• Download and post the social media assets (sample copy also provided)
• Add a brief line to your customer follow up emails, asking them to complete the survey.
All visitors who complete the survey have the opportunity to enter an exclusive prize draw.
Follow the link below to download resources from our media library - if you do not yet have access please email website@cumbriatourism.org to receive your login information.
Thank you again for your support.
Recruitment support
Don't forget to make the most of the wide range of available support, including:
Don't forget to make the most of the wide range of available support, including:
- In-person job centre opportunities
- Inspira workplace academy programme
- Sharing your staffing needs through our short survey
- Free vacancies promotion
Full details on all of the above are available HERE.
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Allerdale Business Website - advertise your vacancies
 Kirkgate Arts & Heritage is advertising for two new posts.
They are looking for a General Manager to drive the next phase of Kirkgate’s work celebrating the people, the town and West Cumbria.
They also need a Community Projects Officer to focus on heritage and arts projects.
Both posts are supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England.
Did you know you can advertise your vacancies or apprenticeship opportunities on our Business Website?
Take a look at the Kirkgate positions and add yours on our jobs page here
UK Right to work checks
On 1 July 2021, the process for completing right to work checks changed.
Employers are no longer able to accept EU passports or ID cards as valid proof of right to work for new staff, with the exception of Irish citizens. Instead, you should conduct an online check for job applicants that hold digital proof of their immigration status in the UK, known as an eVisa. This applies to most EU citizens, including those with settled or pre-settled status, those with a Hong Kong BNO visa and some other nationalities who have moved to the UK more recently under the points-based immigration system.
A manual check can be completed for UK and Irish nationals who can use their passport, or other identity document, as proof of their right to work. You will also need to complete a manual check for individuals in the UK who cannot prove their immigration status online.
*It is important to note you do not need to retrospectively check the status of any EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens you employed before 1 July 2021.
To assist employers in carrying out right to work checks, we have developed a right to work check video which can be found on the Home Office YouTube channel here. The video guides you through the new right to work check process, including details of applicant information required for both types of check and links to further information. We encourage you to share this within your organisation, and with your own stakeholders.
Furlough extension
The Government has now extended the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) until 30 September 2021. Any final claims for September must be submitted by 14 October 2021. The CJRS is for businesses that have not been able maintain their workforce due to coronavirus can still furlough employees.
From 1 August 2021 the government will pay 60% of wages. Employers must top up employees’ wages to make sure they receive 80% of their wages (up to £2,500) for the hours they are on furlough.
Please note that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be ending on 30 September 2021. Claims for September must be submitted by 14 October 2021 and any amendments must be made by 28 October 2021.
*Claims for furlough days in July 2021 must be made by 16 August 2021
For further information about how the scheme is changing click below
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Lord Inglewood reappointed as LEP Chair
At its recent meeting, the Cumbria LEP Board ratified the re-appointment of Lord Inglewood as Chair.
Lord Inglewood was originally appointed to the role in 2018 for a three-year term with the Board agreeing that he should be re-appointed for a further three year term of office.
On his reappointment, Lord Inglewood said “I’m delighted that colleagues have once again shown their confidence in me. It is a challenging but a rewarding role and I look forward to continuing the important work that we are jointly undertaking to support Cumbria’s economic and business recovery.
“The combination of the pandemic and wider changes has meant that we are operating in an uncertain environment, which means that continuity and stability are more important than ever.”
Lord Inglewood will Chair CLEP’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, September 24 (2pm to 4pm), which is open to members of the public, when he will talk about what CLEP has delivered over the past year.
Visit the website: Cumbria LEP
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Premiere of 'At Home In The Steep Places'
A feature length documentary film about Bill Peascod. Showing at 7pm on Saturday 21st August at the Wave Centre, Maryport. Message 28 Dales Later or email 28Daleslater@gmail.com for free tickets.
See the trailer here.
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Good news stories from this week
A warm welcome home Luke Greenbank
What an acheivement! Celebrating with a local lunch at W Lindsay & Sons Limited Deli in Cockermouth. Bronze and silver medals in tow.
Luke also popped in to Wheatsheaf Garage in Brigham - they got to hold those coveted medals too! #shoplocal #Tokyo2020
A huge welcome back to the Helena Thompson Museum
This marvelous Museum, Community venue, cafe and so much more reopened its doors at the end of July, take a look at the facilities here: Helena Thompson Museum
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Disney delight for local man
We were delighted to read in the News & Star, that Christian Nowak from Workington has landed his dream job with entertainment giant Disney, after beating off competition from thousands of other hopefuls. He has travelled to Florida to start training for his new role as an entertainer on the Disney cruise line.
See his story here, in the News & Star
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Congratulations to the Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa
The Lodore has been named the 'Best Countryside Getaway’ in the the UK.
The 4-star hotel, near Keswick, was shortlisted for the best countryside getaway up against nine other spa hotels across the UK.
Awarded by the Good Spa Awards for providing peace and quiet, great views, and plentiful relaxation spots. Good Spa Guide
Upcoming events
Retain your staff with the University of Cumbria’s apprenticeship scheme
August 12 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Training and development options are key ways to not only retain your current staff, but also make your business more appealing to potential recruits.
We are hosting a short meeting to highlight how businesses can make the most of the University of Cumbria’s degree apprenticeship programme. As well as hearing from the University, attendees will also hear from businesses already involved in the scheme.
To book your free space please click here More details: Cumbria Tourism Events
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Lancashire & Cumbria Virtual Networking
Wednesday, 22 September 2021
The Federation of Small Businesses is well aware that looking after body and mind is crucial to help ensure that small business-owners can perform at their best and be productive. Nutrition and what fuel you put in your body is therefore really important. Nutrition expert Helen Kimber will offer insight into this and offer some great tips which attendees can implement straight away to give themselves a boost.
Helen is an award-winning Educator and Trainer focusing on nutritional, physiological and psychological health to improve wellbeing and lifestyle.
To book your place at this FREE event, follow this link: Lancashire & Cumbria Virtual Networking
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Cumbria Chamber Event
Online training – Post-Brexit Import/Export Procedures
New rules have been enforced by the European Union on VAT obligations for businesses from 1 July 2021. Failure to comply with the HMRC requirements could result in your organisation being assessed for significant amounts of additional duty and tax. Cumbria Chamber of Commerce are hosting an online workshop on 18 August 2021.
The workshop will ensure you are aware and understand the new regulations to help your organisation to fully complying with the new HMRC requirements. To find out more information and book your slot please click here.
* If you are not a Cumbria Chamber member remember, you can enjoy FREE membership for Allerdale businesses - join here: Free Membership for Allerdale businesses
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