 Congratulations and a warm welcome to Farleys Solicitors for choosing Hyndburn as the location for their new flagship office.
Farleys Solicitors is moving some of its operations to a new flagship office in Hyndburn, after securing larger premises to create the firm’s new East Lancashire office.
Farleys Solicitors, which has had offices on Richmond Terrace in Blackburn since 1958, has signed a lease on a 18,679 sq ft office space on Shuttleworth Mead Business Park in Altham to facilitate the firm’s ambitious growth plans.
The new premises will see Farleys take over the whole of Communications House, formally used by haulage company Fagan and Whalley, with enough room for over 120 employees and offering modern facilities, including extensive meeting and event space.
Ian Liddle, Managing Partner at Farleys, said:
“This is an exciting time for everyone associated with Farleys and these new premises are a big step in our firm’s growth plans.
“With a property that offers as much as Communications House does, we’ve taken the decision to move our teams from our high street offices in Blackburn, Accrington, and Burnley to improve their working environment and the services we’re able to provide for clients."
 The new year is the time for new beginnings, and a time when we often see lots of new businesses launch.
Hyndburn businesses can still take advantage of the fully-funded support from Boost, available till the end of March 2025.
Mark Gibbons from the “Access to Finance” team at Lancashire County Council also provides an overview of funding and finance for start-up businesses. He said:
"Often getting funding for a start-up can be difficult, and almost every one is self-funded and/or tap into family and friends to get their business ideas off the ground. In reality, these sources are often exhausted within the first 12 months of setting up. So, where can a new start-up or pre-revenue business turn to for support?
My recommendation in almost all cases is to explore the Start Up Loan scheme backed by the British Business Bank. A business loan for personal use means that personal credit will be taken into consideration, and a demonstrable plan to access the target market is needed too.
Start Up Loans are fixed at 6% APR (which is counter intuitively cheap cash given funding start-ups is the highest risk space for funders and one that clearing banks will not entertain).
Up to a maximum £25,000 can be accessed per director, so theoretically if there are 4 directors in the business that each apply for the maximum a total of £100,000 can be accessed for a start up at a market beating rates given where the Bank of England base rates are.
So whatever your funding strategy may be, and if your business is less than 3 years old this is something to consider seriously."
Senior Associate, Daniel Fletcher, from Forbes Solicitors provides guidance on how a start up businesses can protect their assets
Launching a business can be an exciting venture. During this period, there are often various creative and innovative ideas brought forward, and safeguarding the fruits of your labour is just as important as launching your products or services to sustain the future growth and success of your business.
Intellectual property (‘IP’) refers to intangible assets that derive from a creation of the mind. Recognising and subsequently protecting your IP allows you to commercialise your ideas and works, whilst securing exclusive rights and preventing unauthorised use. This short guide explains how to identify, protect and enforce your IP as a startup.
 As a Council, we are continually trying to reduce costs and postage is an area where we know we can cut costs and provide an improved service to you.
We are phasing out paper bills for Business Rates and require an email address for your account so that we can send you an e-bill for your business rates bills.
Your bill and any updates throughout the year will be sent to you as soon as it is updated on our system.
Providing your details is easy and you have several options:
- Online at hyndburnbc.gov.uk/ebilling
- By email to enquiries@hyndburnbc.gov.uk (please include your reference number and business address in your email)
- By telephone on 01254 388 111 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
 Do you want to be celebrated for selling internationally?
The Department for Business & Trade awards are now open for entry, covering several categories, and will close at 23:59 on 9th March 2025.
The UK invents, creates, develops, makes and engineers amazing products and services that are sold to the world. These awards recognise and celebrate the exporting success of small UK businesses.
For more information and to enter, visit the website at:
Improving business productivity with Video and Social Media
Thursday 27th February, 9.30am - 11.30am, Accrington Stanley Community Trust, Thorneyholme Road, Accrington, BB5 6BD.
Changing trends and Marketing Demands - Why video content is essential for all businesses.
This 2 hour workshop will explain how businesses can compete with larger brands on a smaller budget.
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Power of Podcasting for Business.
Thursday 13th March, 9.30am - 12.30pm: Accrington & Rossendale College, Hambledon Suite, Sandy Lane, Accrington, BB5 2AR.
Unlock the Power of Podcasting for YOUR Business
This workshop will provide you with an overview of the knowledge and practical skills you’ll need to consider to successfully podcast for YOUR business.
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Understanding how to implement Chat Gpt and AI in your business.
Wednesday 26th March, 8.00am - 4.00pm: Accrington Stanley Football Club, 1968 Lounge, Livingstone Road, Accrington, BB5 5BX.
This full day practical event will be split into 4 sessions, starting with understanding what AI is and how you can implement it in your business. Exploring ChatGpt & CoPilot (Microsoft), Gemini (Google), and Deepseek.
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For further information and agenda details on all these fully-funded workshops, please visit the link below. To book a place, please email business@hyndburnbc.gov.uk
Business drop-in sessions are held at venues across the borough from 9.30am - 1pm.
No appointment is required, pop in to have a chat with the Council’s Economic Development Team regarding support for your business.
At the sessions below, we will also be joined by business advisors from Boost Lancashire Business Growth Hub to inform businesses about the fully funded support available to Hyndburn businesses.
Oswaldtwistle Mills Business Conference Centre - Thursday 20th February
East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce - Thursday 6th March
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