August 2019 Newsletter

Mark Rutherford School

Mark Rutherford School in Putnoe, Bedford has successfully secured £2m in new funding. With financial support from SEMLEP, the Local Growth Fund, Bedford Borough Council and Central Government, the money will be used towards a new building project which is set become a Centre of Excellence offering specialist teaching spaces for all age groups of students and a new lecture hall.

The whole project will inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering, arts and maths (STEAM) professionals and will see the school fast becoming a regional STEAM hub, with students developing skills that will feed directly into the vision of the UK’s Silicon Valley.

Wenta

Wenta is a social enterprise that provides a 'one-stop-shop' for business support. It can help with everything from start-up advice, mentoring and training to workspace, meeting rooms and virtual offices.  Most of the services are accessible free of charge to small businesses based in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Enfield, funded through the surplus of our business centres and programmes such as the Hertfordshire Start-up Programme.

Whether you have a business idea you would like to explore or you're already running a successful business, the team of experienced Business Advisors can offer  guidance and a range of business training courses and events to help you start or grow your business.  The variety of workshops on offer will help you gain new ideas and skills for your business, held in locations all over Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Greater London. 

They are also home to a thriving community of over 560 businesses, the vibrant business centres provide you with flexible and affordable workspace, tailored to your needs.  All of the centres offer free business advice, on-site and online.  Can you afford to miss out?

For more details see their website: https://www.wenta.co.uk/

Sustrans & Bedford Borough Council

Sustainable Travel Charity – Sustrans, whose mission is to make it easier for people to walk and cycle, have teamed up with Bedford Borough Council for an exciting new project, which is already working with a number of big businesses in and around Bedford. They want to create a society where the way we travel, creates healthier places for people to live and work. 

A funded employee engagement programme is available in your area and the project provides access to a wide array of engagement activities, events and tools aimed at empowering employees to take action to travel actively and sustainably to and from work. This can include: individual travel planning advice, cycle/ walking route maps creation, travel action plans, awareness raising, led rides and walks, car share groups or any other ideas that you have that you feel would work well in your business. 

The workplace programmes typically result in:

Health of the workforce

• Improved levels of physical activity in staff which can lead to
  • o Reduced employee absenteeism & improved employee productivity
  • o Improved staff morale and well-being in the workplace

Facilities management  

• Reduced car parking burden

CSR - improve your company image 

• Reduced carbon emissions

Be a part of the movement, for further details please contact, www.sustrans.org.uk

Verifile 

Verifile the Bedford based, pre-employment screening company has been presented with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the category of International Trade.  Following an official reception held at Buckingham Palace in June alongside other Queen’s Award winners from across the UK, a special presentation took place at their offices in July.

The award was presented to Ben Eyal Cohen, CEO of Verifile by her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis.  Also in attendance were all four Deputy Lieutenants, two of the judges and Paul Adams and Patrick Lyons from Bedford Borough Council.   HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire stated, “I am so honoured to present the Queen’s Award for Enterprise to Verifile this morning.  An outstanding organisation led with passion and creativity, leading the world in its field”.  

As one of the highest awards that can be bestowed on a UK company, it recognised Verifile’s outstanding growth in overseas sales over the past six consecutive years and highlighted the growing worldwide demand for employment screening.  The presentation concluded with the dignitaries taking a tour around the offices and seeing the 120 strong staff conducting the checking process.