On 21 September the government announced new support for households, businesses and public sector organisations facing rising energy bills in Great Britain and Northern Ireland through a new Government Energy Bill Relief Scheme. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses
The government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals) whose current gas and electricity prices are high. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households earlier this month.
It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial six-month period for all non-domestic energy users. The government will publish a review into the operation of the scheme in three months to inform decisions on future support after March 2023.
As with the Energy Price Guarantee for households, customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme to access the support. Support (in the form of a p/kWh discount) will automatically be applied to bills.
More details are available here:
Run by real entrepreneurs with business development experience this five day course will take you though all you need to start your business. Learn how to start a business, build your sales pitch, use marketing and social media, develop your product and USP, and how to create a business plan.
No experience needed and completely free, this course runs over 5 days from 26 to 30 September 2022. Daily sessions begin at 10am and will finish at 3pm and are located at Bloom.Space, The Grange, Grange Rd, Great Malvern, WR14 3HA.
This years packed programme kicks off with the launch of founder Adrian Burden's book, looking back at the last 10 years of the festival on 5 Oct. Other highlights include:
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An evening session discussing the Climate Emergency, with presentations offering insight into how individuals and small businesses can have an impact on this serious issue.
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Malvern Hills Science Park Tech Day exhibition and talks to showcase some of the technology-focused businesses based on site and elsewhere around Malvern.
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Science and Technology Comedy Night at the Malvern Cube.
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Family day at Malvern Library.
Malvern Hills District Council is supporting the new District Discount 500 book and offering local businesses the opportunity for low-cost advertising.
How it works:
• Pay £5 per voucher/discount you wish to promote in the book which includes a logo and/or photo of your choice.
• 500 vouchers/discounts will be included in the book and are only available for six months
• 5000 books will go on sale online and in stores from November at a low cost of £1.
Benefits to your business:
• Low-cost advertising
• Promote your business to up to 5000 households for as little as £5
• Generate footfall, new customers and sales
• Opportunity for your business to sell the books and retain some of the costs.
District Discount 500 production is now taking place and coupon slots are available. If you are interested in adding a coupon to the booklet, contact Annette on annette@uptonnews.uk or 07538 785314.
This initiative is part of Malvern Hills District Councils commitment to supporting local businesses and communities as part of the new Town Centre Plans.
Take part in our Annual Residents’ Survey and you could win a £50 voucher for a local, independent restaurant or shop of your choice in the Malvern Hills District*.
We want your views on a variety of different topics, including what you think of your local area and the services we provide.
You will be able to have your say until the deadline on 16 October 2022.
This year, the survey includes questions on the community, such as social isolation and safety, whether council services are value for money, what residents’ priorities are for the district and also, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
As always, feedback will be used to improve services. The survey takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete but progress can be saved so it can be completed in stages.
Please visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk/consultations for more information. The survey is only open to Malvern Hills District residents.
*You will need to take part in the survey to enter the prize draw to win a £50 voucher. Terms and conditions apply.
This eight week intensive boot camp will bring experts from the Cleantech world to Worcestershire. They will guide local businesses in establishing, developing and accelerating technologies that will lead them closer to Net Zero. Although primarily aimed at Wyre Forest businesses, any business in Worcestershire interested in sustainability support is encouraged to speak with the Worcestershire Growth Hub team to find out more about BetaDen North Bootcamp and other sustainability support on offer.
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The Business Energy Efficiency Programme (BEEP) and Low Carbon Opportunities Programme (LOCOP) offer free assessments and grants to help businesses save money and reduce carbon emissions. Grants (£20,000) from BEEP include LED lighting, heating, equipment, compressors etc. For businesses interested in solar or other renewable technologies, LOCOP offers grants of up to £100,000. LOCOP advice and grant funding up to £30,000 is available for businesses developing an innovative low carbon product or service that helps others to be green. Both programmes are part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Eligibility criteria applies.
Zero Carbon Ready Worcestershire - If your organisation is not eligible for support from BEEP or LOCOP, you might benefit from the support available from Zero Carbon Ready Worcestershire, a pilot scheme to help businesses in Worcestershire reduce greenhouse gases and move towards net zero targets. The programme offers free decarbonisation advice and 100% grant funding for smart monitoring systems to organisations in Worcestershire.
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The Specialist Advisor Programme is back for a third wave of giving businesses access to expert advice on topics like financial strategy, the green agenda, sustainability and much more. Over 300 businesses benefited from the first two waves of this programme and spaces will fill up fast. So if you want to receive this FREE expert advice please register your interest now on 01905 677888 or info@business-central.co.uk |
All Worcestershire employers are eligible to benefit from the Skills Bootcamps programme which offers flexible courses of up to 16 weeks. Employers contribute a small amount to the cost of training their existing employees; larger employers with over 250 employees need to contribute 30% of the cost and small or medium employers with 3 - 249 employees just 10%. For individuals accessing the programme it is completely free.
For more information get in touch with the Worcestershire Growth Hub on 01905 677888 or by email: info@worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk
There are now just 5 places left for businesses to apply to the Elevate Growth programme. The programme offers exclusive specialist business support and optional grant funding to help established SMEs develop bespoke growth plans.
To date, the programme has received exceptional feedback from those who have completed the support, which will reach over 150 businesses by the end of this year. The Elevate programme is aimed at established SMEs in Worcestershire that trade more than 70% B2B, have been trading for at least 3 years and with 5+ employees.
On completion of support, there is the opportunity to apply for a match-funded grant up to a maximum of £10,000 which is awarded on a competitive basis and subject to availability. Spaces are expected to be fully allocated by the middle of August for the next cohort of businesses so ensure your business takes one of those places, register your interest by calling 01905 677888 or emailing info@business-central.co.uk.
Is your business based in Worcestershire and less than 5 years old?
- Do you employ fewer than 250 people?
- Do you trade at least 70% Business to Business?
If so, there has never been a better time to live in Worcestershire; achieve new levels of business growth on this Enterprising Worcestershire Early Stage Coaching Programme by working with one of the Real World Consultancy Business Growth Coaches whilst receiving:
-12 hours one to one business coaching
-DISC Assessment
-Business Assessment
-Online community
-Meet up's in Worcester
-Online and Face to Face options for coaching
Find out more and apply using the link below:
Worcestershire County Council want to support you to access this untapped talent and have a more diverse and productive workforce. The skills and abilities of autistic people are being overlooked by employers with only 22% of autistic people in paid employment. People with autism have a great deal to offer the world of business and many have unique skills and abilities that will help an organisation to thrive. Autistic people often demonstrate above-average skills in areas like:
• Problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• High levels of concentration
• Reliability and loyalty
• Technical ability and specialist skills and interests such as in IT
• Detailed factual knowledge and an excellent memory
Free Autism Training is available to support you to have a better understanding of autism and to help you implement easy and effective adjustments to create a autism-friendly workplace, we have worked with the UK’s leading autism charity, The National Autistic Society (NAS), to offer you and your workforce, free online ‘Autism Awareness’ and ‘Autism In the Workplace’ training. Click the button below for more details:
Worcestershire County Council’s Supported Employment Service offers businesses support to match suitable candidates to employment opportunities. They work alongside businesses to understand their recruitment needs and to develop work-based and employment opportunities. Please contact the Supported Employment Service to find out how they can support you.
The Enterprising Worcestershire programme, have announced there are a limited number of grants up to the value of £30,000 on offer to help start-up businesses in Worcestershire.
The grant is designed to give eligible SMEs that are less than three years old a significant helping hand. Grant funding can cover multiple capital and revenue expenditure items such as, but not limited to, equipment, machinery, website construction and logo design.
There are only a limited number of these matched funded grants available so eligible businesses will need to get their application in quickly. Smaller grants of £1,000 to £15,000 will still be on offer to start-up businesses through Enterprising Worcestershire.
For more information, and the full list of eligibility, please click the button below:
MHDC and WDC have gained funding through the UK Community Renewal Fund to support upskilling. The project has already funded many businesses and apprentices in Malvern Hills and Wychavon and there is still grant money available for businesses who take on apprentices and trainees. We can offer you, if you are an employer with fewer than 250 staff, £2000 for each new apprentice or other trainee of any age, whether previously on the company pay role or not. The main requirement is that your apprentice must have started their training after 1st April 2021 and be currently enrolled on their course. Apply online before 30 September 2022.
With our Apprentice and Trainee Support Grants we are giving new apprentices and trainees £500. They can also get help with the cost of travel, equipment and other costs related to their training up to a maximum of £1,000. This project is also funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund.
To qualify for the payments they need to:
• live in the Malvern Hills or Wychavon postcode areas.
• be a new apprentice or trainee of any age.
• earn less than £15,000 a year.
Applications accepted until 30 September 2022.
For full terms and conditions and to apply please visit our website.
There are grants available for farming innovation projects from DEFRA. The two grants will help to fund feasibility studies and industrial research studies which provide solutions to improve productivity, sustainability and a move to net zero, and resilience.
Farming Innovation Programme small R&D partnership projects R2- Deadline: 02/11/2022
Farming Innovation Programme - feasibility round 2 - Deadline: 12/10/2022
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BetaDen beers returns at 5pm on 29 September 2022. Join this informal event and network with fellow industry professionals.
You will also have a chance to meet the new Cohort 6.0 founders and learn more about future BetaDen opportunities.
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Virtual HR Forum, in association with Hewett Recruitment. This confidential forum is aimed at HR professionals looking to share best practice and seek advice from peers. Speaker Lisa Kemp on ‘The importance of contractual employment terms’ - 27 Sept 2022
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Worcestershire Works Well Conference, event for WWW members only - 29 Sept 2022
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Workforce attitudes towards mental health workshop, delivered by Headspace. Hear the latest research on what employees think about mental health in the workplace - 13 Oct 2022
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Business Expo, this popular event returns to the Three Counties Showground. Make connections and see how businesses have grown and changed through the pandemic. Fresh ideas and new ways of working are sure to have sprouted - 13 Oct 2022
BIPC Worcestershire has plenty of support and webinars for businesses of any size.
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Join Beta Den for this free, virtual deep dive into Fintech and Intelligence software.
This next instalment of Tech Tuesdays takes place from 12:00pm till 1:00pm on 11 Oct 2022.
Register using the button below:
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The University of Worcester are delighted to invite you to their upcoming in-person Business Careers Fair and lunch. The Careers fair is a great opportunity to meet some of the best students, raise awareness of your brand and showcase your graduate schemes, or 12-month work placement, 3-6 month internship, or casual work and other opportunities.
The event will run between 11am and 2pm at the historic City Campus in central Worcester. Stands are free, and available for businesses with roles for graduates, as well as placements and internships and casual work opportunities.
You will be provided with a table and chairs, a complimentary buffet lunch and refreshments throughout the event.
Tap into a new pool of talent and meet highly employable students with a wide variety of skills and from a range of different courses including Business Management, Computing, Accounting, HR and Marketing, PR & Advertising, as well as International Business Management and Entrepreneurship, many whom have gained additional work experience via work placements and internships, as well as volunteering and community projects in the local area.
Use the link below for more information or contact Sally Docherty: s.docherty@worc.ac.uk
Explore the benefits of co-working in rural areas. In this free to attend CoLab Event look at how co-working can help your organisation reduce costs, increase reach, improve partnership working, facilitate collaboration and help tackle climate change with Alex Brookes from The Kiln in Worcester. Lindridge Village Office is a pilot funded by Malvern Hills District Council to meet changing needs of a rural workforce and VCS.
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