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Sustainable September 

This September, dive into sustainable action with over 35 free events happening nearly every day! From a range of art workshops and bat walks to free seasonal meals and planting sessions, there’s something for everyone. Embrace the opportunity to make a difference right on your doorstep. Let’s come together for a greener, more sustainable community!

Tech Hub: Unlock your business’s potential with automation webinar

Are you tired of being buried in paperwork and repetitive tasks? Discover how to transform your business operations through automation.

In this Tech Hub webinar, we will be joined by Emma Goode, founder of 24 fingers, which helps businesses and brands grow through digital marketing.

Learn practical strategies to streamline processes, boost efficiency and increase productivity. From automating client communications to optimising invoicing and onboarding, this talk will equip you with the tools to free up your time and focus on what truly matters.

Key takeaways:

• Pinpoint the time-consuming tasks within your business and prioritise processes that can benefit from automation
• Explore a range of automation solutions tailored to your business needs from email marketing to project management

Date: 12th September

Time: 11am-11:45am

Location: Online

Get Published! Writers Workshop

Ready to take your writing to the next level? Join Start Up Wandsworth for this writers workshop delivered by author Melissa Addey! From a completed manuscript to holding a published book in your hands, step by step.

If you want to get published but are not sure how to go about it or whether to go via a publisher or self-publish, then this 3-part workshop is for you. Run by full-time self-published author Melissa Addey, you'll leave this workshop with a clear understanding of your routes to publishing so you can make an informed choice about your preferred publishing path. Melissa will share a wealth of resources, contacts and personal experience, allowing you to fully understand your options. Did you know self-published authors earn more than traditionally published authors? Do you know just how beneficial it is to write in a series or how many books it takes for successful authors to crack £100k? We'll cover it all.

Date: 12th September

Time: 4:30pm-7:30pm

Location: Putney Library, 5-7 Disraeli Road London SW15 2DR

London Design Festival Comes to Battersea

Wandsworth Council is proud to be taking part in London Design Festival taking place 14 - 22 September.

Battersea Design District will offer a programme of exhibitions, workshops, architectural tours and performances by creatives living and working in Wandsworth.

Councillor Kemi Akinola, Wandsworth Council's Cabinet Member for Culture, said: "We're so excited to be part of London Design Festival for another year, providing access for residents to get together and unleash their creative talents.

“We also welcome visitors who are discovering the diverse range of artists based here in Wandsworth, as we build up to our year of culture in 2025."

Wandsworth Council has commissioned six projects to take place within Battersea Design District during London Design Festival 2024, alongside the wider programme.

Do you want to win new contracts with Wandsworth Council Procurement and Large Tier-1 Buyers to grow your business?

Supply Wandsworth have commissioned Branduin Business support to deliver a Fit To Bid® programme including a series of live Meet The Buyer events and 1-2-1 tender advice sessions. The innovative methodology is designed to provide businesses with the support, knowledge and skills needed to actively engage in the local supply chain and submit bids to council services, construction and infrastructure projects, transit hubs, and large private sector buyers.

SMEs registered on Wandsworth’s Supplier Directory qualify for two free 1-2-1 tender business advice sessions. These confidential sessions are with an expert advisor, and designed to help you identify and overcome your key challenges, navigate the complexities of the supply chain, and be in a better place to win new contracts.

Places are limited, and we urge you to book your session now.

Wandsworth Digital Skills - 3 Day Accelerator

This 3-day accelerator is designed for micros and SME's wanting to get more out of digital. You will leave with strong digital foundations and be ready to go.

Creating and implementing the right digital assets and ensuring that they will achieve the results you want takes planning and understanding. This is the most important stage of your digital strategy. Get this right and you will be unstoppable.

In this 3-day interactive and practical accelerator, you will work with your digital consultant to set those all-important foundations for your business. You will have your own workbook and will be implementing it as you go.

Day 1: Monday, 16th September at 10.00 - 16.00

Day 2: Tuesday, 17th September at 10.00 - 16.00

Day 3: Wednesday 18th September at 10.00 - 16.00

Location: York Gardens Library, 34 Lavender Road, London SW11 2UG

Start Up Wandsworth Business Networking Event | Ignite Business Programme

Join us for this informal Wandsworth Borough business networking event in collaboration with Start Up Wandsworth.

Get set up to create the success that you want in your business! Surround yourself with local successful entrepreneurs to boost conversation, improve your thinking, and explore opportunities to collaborate.

Meet Start Up Wandsworth representative, Loretta Awuah who will be there to support you.

For businesses and residents of Wandsworth. Our networking events are a great way to connect with like-minded people.

Date: 17th September

Time: 6pm - 7.30pm

Location: The Alma, 499 Old York Road, London SW18 1TF

The African Fashion and Textiles Experience Part 2

The African Fashion and Textiles Experience part 2 will be a series of 6 monthly educational and interactive creative workshops starting in September 2024 as part of Wandsworth Council's Black History 365. Created, presented, and hosted by Fée Uhssi, Wandsworth-based Franco-Nigerian Fashion and textile Artist, Designer, and Art & Colour Therapist, the workshops will explore the history, the artistic techniques, and the role of textiles in the African continent and the Afro-Caribbean culture and the evolution of African fashion from traditional costumes to modern style and its influences on European Fashion.

Date: from 18th September

Time: 4:30pm - 7:30pm

Location: OSMO Battersea, 65 Nine Elms Lane London SW11 7EU

Build a Sustainable Business Model for Growth

Enhance your business strategy in our focused 2hr workshop, "Build a Sustainable Business Model for Growth." Designed for motivated entrepreneurs and business leaders, this workshop will provide you with practical tools to develop a more efficient business model that targets your ideal customers and supports steady growth.

Date: 19th September

Time: 11am - 1pm

Location: Putney Library, 5-7 Disraeli Road London SW15 2DR

Leave the car parked for Car Free Day!

Sunday 22 September is World Car Free Day which provides the opportunity to experience some of our streets traffic-free, moving the focus to people.

Businesses can support the campaign directly and by suggesting staff leave their car at home and walk or cycle when travelling locally on and around 22 September.

Using these options for short journeys can help to improve local congestion, as well as providing personal health benefits from physical activity.

Some ways that businesses can take part:

• Make deliveries and/or shop for supplies using our electric cargo bike hire scheme provided by Our Bike. There are 9 locations across the borough and you can find your nearest one on this map. Your staff can also use the scheme for activities such as shopping and/or transporting small children to school and beyond.
• Offer your staff travel related benefits such as the cycle to work scheme, interest free public transport ticket loans, and If possible, provide active travel friendly facilities such as lockers, showers and secure bicycle storage.
• View Footways accessible London walking route maps and accessible public transport from Transport for All.
• Use the CycleStreet UK journey planner to plan a cycle ride.
• Learn more about alternative modes of travel via the button below.

Share your views on Clapham Junction to help shape its future

The council is looking at the area around Clapham Junction station to consider how it could be shaped by local improvements and development in the future, making it a better place to live and work.

We would like to know your views on the local area and how it should look and develop. Find out more and share your experiences, feedback or suggestions for improvement by dropping a pin on our interactive map.

The Wandsworth Big Business Breakfast at the Pestana Hotel & Spa 

Guest speakers for September:

Scott Sherriff - Head of Employability School, South Thames College
Toby Costin - Director, Crew Energy

Scott will share an overview of the South Thames Colleges Group and the sites they operate from with a specific focus on Wandsworth and Tooting campuses.

He will share the range of courses and training opportunities that they offer and details of their work with businesses in Wandsworth. This will highlight the support they have provided their students with work placements, masterclasses, talks, site visits, etc.

He will also share how their Level 3 Leadership and Management course can support managers/aspiring managers in their current roles to optimise business performance and how to access South Thames College's free, online CPD offer, which includes packages on Cyber Security, Mental Health First Aid, Business Administration and Understanding Autism.

Toby will be offering you practical advice on how to decarbonise your buildings and homes through behavioural change and small cost measures. He will touch on reducing energy usage will working from home and offer an insight into new technologies that will help you save cash and carbon and improve comfort.

Join Chamber Members and guests for this Business Big Breakfast where Beverley Corson, Wandsworth Chamber's CEO, will present an update on the chamber's activities and upcoming opportunities for local businesses.

Date: 25th September

Time: 7:45am to 10:30am

Location: The Pestana Hotel & Spa, 354 Queenstown Road, Battersea, SW8 4AE

Black History Month Roots & Culture Market

Join us for the inaugural Roots and Culture Market on Northcote Road SW11, for a vibrant celebration of Black History Month!

This unique event will feature a variety of activities, stalls and music, all dedicated to honouring Black history and supporting Black-owned businesses.

Come and explore a diverse array of stalls showcasing products from talented Black entrepreneurs, including handmade crafts, fashion, skincare, food and more. Plus, enjoy live music and performances by a Steel Pan group to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the African and Caribbean communities.

Don’t miss this opportunity to support local Black-owned businesses and immerse yourself in a day filled with culture, community, and celebration – mark your calendars and be part of this historic event!

Date: Saturday 29th September
Time: 11:00 - 17:00
Location: Northcote Road, London, SW11 1NJ

The Ice Cream Model for Marketing with Louise Camish

Looking for new ways to engage your customers and grow your brand? Join Jellyfielders' Louise Camish for this exciting workshop looking at the Ice Cream Model for Marketing.

Creating content yourself to post and promote your business online can be tricky, but let us help take some of the stress out of it. You'll explore how to make effective online content, and build your marketing strategy, tailored to your brand, audience and message.

Jellyfielders provide video services, from training to full production packages, across London, as well as ongoing marketing support. Join us for this workshop to learn from the experts and apply some of their wisdom to your own marketing strategies.

Not already a member of Start Up Wandsworth? Join us: better.org.uk/start-up-Wandsworth. Start Up Wandsworth is delivered by GLL and Wandsworth Libraries in partnership with the British Library Business & IP Centre.

Date: 30th September

Time: 11am - 1pm

Location: Putney Library, 5-7 Disraeli Road London SW15 2DR

Black Entrepreneurship Across Africa and the Diaspora Workshop

In this workshop, Loretta Awuah will look at the earliest examples of commerce and raising finance in Africa and the diaspora, as well as showcase famous black entrepreneurs in Africa, the Caribbean, North and South America and the UK. The presentation will also look at the current state of affairs concerning black business owners in the UK i.e. challenges and experiences through recent published reports, and the support that is out there to support entrepreneurs locally and nationally, and also within communities through the practice of group economics.

Date: 1st October

Time: 2pm to 4pm

Location: York Gardens Library, 34 Lavender Rd, London SW11 2UG

Wandsworth Artists Open House 2024

150+ artists showing their work in 70+ venues across the borough. Pick up a trail map or visit our website to learn more about the artists and to plan your route. 

Dates: 6th, 5th, 12th & 13th October

Time: 11am- 6pm

For more business support events and programmes, visit the Wandsworth Enterprise Hub.

Business Support Resources

Wandsworth Enterprise Hub

Need business support, events or programmes to help start or grow your business? Look no further than the Wandsworth Enterprise Hub.

My Virtual Wandsworth

Want to promote your business to local residents? My Virtual Wandsworth features more than 600 local businesses – make sure yours is one of them! List it in our online directory.

Business and Licensing

Visit the Council's Business and Licensing page for information on business licensing, business rates, business premises and much more.