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Business Update Bulletin
Support and advice for Manchester businesses.
If you have news or information you would like to be included in the newsletter, please send details to: city.centre@manchester.gov.uk
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In this issue you will find
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Remembrance Sunday 2025. Sunday 9 November 2025, 10.30am to 12 noon.
Veterans and military personnel march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph, where a service will be held at 11am. This will be followed by a short march to Peter Street across St Peter’s Square.
A two-minute silence will be observed commencing at 11am. The start and finish of the two-minute silence will be signified by the firing of a maroon.
To enable security checks and safeguards, there will be a series of road closures and suspensions. Visit our website for a full list of closures - Remembrance Sunday 2025 road closures | Remembrance Sunday 2025 road closures | Manchester City Council
No trams will run through St Peter’s Square between 10am and 1pm. Please visit Travel alerts | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM or information when it becomes available.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Events Unit at cex-events@manchester.gov.uk if you require any further information from today until 4pm on Friday 7 November.
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 Manchester's magical Christmas Parade is back for 2025
The heart-warming event of the season returns on Sunday 7 December 2025, even bigger and better.
Manchester’s free Christmas Parade, the best of its kind in the UK, will once again bring joy to thousands of spectators, young and old.
Processions of spectacular characters, magical performances and extraordinary acts will weave their way through the city’s streets, sprinkling pure festive magic.
Be a part of it!
We’re inviting local businesses to be part of the parade. Whether you're looking to sponsor a float, host a festive activation, involve your staff in the parade or partner on community engagement, this is your chance to showcase your brand to thousands of attendees and spread holiday cheer across the city with tiered packaged available.
For more information email sponsorship@manchester.gov.uk or ring 07866 001 451
Travel Advice During Events
Events across the city means the transport network will be busier than usual. Plan your journey during these busy times.
Road closures during events Road closures | Road closures | Manchester City Council
Visit Events | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM for travel information.
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Transport
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras originally installed in Greater Manchester for a proposed charging-Clean Air Zone (that is now not going ahead) could be used to help tackle serious crime and keep our communities safe.
People across Greater Manchester are being asked for their views on proposals to change the main use of these ANPR cameras by transferring ownership from Transport for Greater Manchester to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
GMP currently requests data from the cameras, which can cause delays in police investigations. Bringing cameras into the existing GMP ANPR network would allow officers to act more quickly in real time to help protect people and communities.
ANPR data is not used to enforce speed limits. Instead, cameras read vehicle registration numbers and instantly check them against national database records of ‘vehicles of interest’, known to be associated with crime and terrorism.
They can help prevent crime and dramatically speed up investigations, including murder, sexual offences, robbery and finding missing persons.
Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) wants to understand and consider your views to help shape a final proposal for the ANPR cameras, with the aim of keeping Greater Manchester as safe as possible to live, work and drive in.
Give your views on using technology to tackle serious crime. Closing date: Thursday 6 November 2025.
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Work and Skills
Business Support - Strangeways & Cambridge Street Area
Are you a business based in the Strangeways or Cambridge Street area? Discover the wide range of fully funded support available to help your business grow and thrive.
Book a one-to-one appointment to explore:
Appointments are available in person or via Microsoft Teams.
To book your 121 session, or for more information, please email: strangeways@manchester.gov.uk
Good Employment Week runs from 24 to 28 November 2025.
It is a celebration of good work, designed to raise awareness of what good employment looks like and why it matters.
This years theme 'Good Employment is your Right' supports the upcoming Employment Rights Bill, which introduces:
- A ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts
- Day-one rights for unfair dismissal
- Improved access to family friendly policies
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Read the latest bulletin from our Work and Skills Team - Work and Skills Bulletin - 3 November 2025
Upcoming Workshop: AI-Ready Workforce – Strategy, Skills & Secure Integration
Join GM Business Growth Hub on Wednesday 12 November 2025, 1pm - 4pm for an in-person workshop designed to help Greater Manchester businesses prepare their teams for AI adoption.
Led by Suzanne Smith from EY, this session will cover:
- Strategic skills mapping
- Role redesign for AI integration
- Cybersecurity and governance essentials
Places are limited - book your place now.
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Women in Business - The Inner Edge
EnterprisingYou are delighted to invite you to our next Women in Business event taking place on Thursday 13 November 2025, 9.30am - 12noon at Fire-Up Rochdale.
Join Lou Booth, founder of Elementas Coaching, for an energising session designed for women business owners ready to lead with clarity, calm, and confidence.
In just 30 minutes, you’ll reconnect with what really matters, explore simple, but powerful self-leadership tools, and walk away with fresh energy - and practical strategies – to lead from the inside out.
Expect warmth, honesty, and no-pressure space to reflect, reset and rise.
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Unlock Global Growth with our International Strategy Workshop
Are you a GM-based organisation looking to scale your business overseas? Then join us for a fully funded International Strategy workshop in Manchester city centre on Thursday 4 December 2025, 9am - 3.30pm featuring our International Growth experts, Ishan Dutta, and Edy Heng.
This hands-on, actionable session is designed for businesses looking to accelerate their global sales at a time when they are more important than ever before. You will learn how to position your brand and products, how to choose your target market and develop a powerful channel strategy. During the course of this workshop, you will also create your own plan and present it to our workshop facilitators and other attendees.
This event is for GM-based limited companies with established traction. Book now to secure your place.
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Resources from the GM Business Growth Hub
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Zero Carbon and Climate Change
Manchester Climate Change Partnership
Manchester’s future is zero carbon, climate resilient and brilliant. Your organisation can play a vital role in shaping our city for the future.
Together, we can create a healthy, green, socially just city where everyone can thrive.
Join Manchester Climate Change Partnership today and be part of creating a future-proofed and successful city.
Take the lead. Make an impact. Join us.
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Carbon Literacy Action Day
Join people across Manchester (and the world) and be part of the world’s largest climate education and action training event of its kind.
If you’re in Manchester, you’ll be joining more than 20,000 people that have already become certified as Carbon Literate here.
Every November, people around the globe unite to share Carbon Literacy training – catalysing action on climate change and delivering positive impact.
Use the Action Day as a springboard to increase levels of Carbon Literacy and inspire greater climate action in your organisation, community or way of life.
And demonstrate your commitment to helping to create a safe and liveable future.
On the day, Carbon Literacy training will take place around the world. As training finishes, organisations will share their final figures and results.
The Carbon Literacy Project will tally those all-important numbers, learn the impact the global Carbon Literacy community has had and calculate the estimated carbon savings.
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Active Travel funding for innovation
The Active Travel Innovation Fund, launched by Active Travel England (ATE) is inviting applications from organisations and businesses to bid for a share of £1 million in funding to help them deliver bold and innovative initiatives that enable more people to walk, wheel or cycle
This is a unique opportunity for:
- Small to medium-sized businesses
- Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
Successful applicants can receive up to £100,000 to bring their innovative solutions to life whether it's new technology, infrastructure, community engagement, or behavioural change initiatives.
Why apply?
- Shape the future of sustainable transport
- Gain national recognition for your work
- Secure funding to scale your impact
Application deadline: Friday 14 November 2025
BeeGreenGM
What happens to desks, chairs and computers when you no longer need them? Too often, they end up as waste.
BeeGreenGM, Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s free-to-use reuse platform for organisations, creates a simple and effective way to share excess assets. It enables businesses to redistribute items they no longer require and source what others are offering.
It is good for your budget and good for the planet:
- Share and reuse items easily
- Save money by avoiding disposal and buying new
- Cut waste and keep useful things in use
- See your positive impact with clear reports
- Be part of circular economy action
Join the growing community of local organisations making reuse the norm.
Register your interest today and start giving old items a new life.
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Green Economy Sustainability and Net Zero support
If you are looking to improve the environmental performance of your business, Green Economy is here to help.
We help businesses to accelerate decarbonisation with consultancy, training and analysis that delivers long term resilience, environmental credibility and financial savings.
Green Economy provides a range of services to help your business to help you to achieve financial objectives whilst reducing your carbon footprint. Many of our services are free or fully-funded.
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Resources you might find useful
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Did you enjoy this edition of the Business Bulletin? |
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© 2025 Manchester City Council |
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