Supporting businesses and the wider economy is one of our top priorities. The Economic Development team works to support businesses and the growth of the Malvern Hills district economy. This month the team have been working on:
- Developing and creating content for 2024 marketing campaigns.
- Recruiting for a new Tourist Information Centre team member.
- Organising and promoting the Malvern Water and Well Dressing Festival 4-12 May 2024.
- New signage installed and refurbishment to existing signage in Malvern Hills district town centres.
- Finalising delivery of Storm Henk Business Recovery Funding.
- Investigating options for enhancement of mobile phone coverage across rural areas of the district.
Visit www.malvernhills.gov.uk/business for more information or if you need help please email us at ecodev@malvernhills.gov.uk.
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Three new welcome signs have been installed in Upton upon Severn.
The signs have been funded by Malvern Hills District Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Signs have replaced existing ones as part of a signage review that Malvern Hills District Council are undertaking across the district.
The signs are located at the three main entrances into Upton upon Severn - Hanley Road, Upton Marina, and the A4104 by Old Welland Road.
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Businesses across the Malvern Hills District have received a funding boost to help them grow and prosper.
The funding, delivered by Malvern Hills District Council, comes from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Local businesses who have already benefitted from a grant include:
- Cob House Country Park, Wichenford - £2,500 for a new play area.
- Wagtail Retreats Ltd, Worcestershire - £1,171 EV charging points for new glamping.
- The Fig, Great Malvern - £2,500 towards new Deli.
- Pitter Potter, Tenbury - £2,500 towards a new shop.
- Salon number 6, Upton on Severn - £2,500 for refurbishment.
More information about qualifying criteria for the fund and how to apply can be found at the link below:
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Is transport limiting your potential pool of employees or trainees? Support is available through the E-bike to Work Scheme from Malvern Hills District Council and Malvern Hills Car Clubs.
E-bikes are available at a subsidised cost to those struggling with transport to their workplace or training and there is also the option for applicants to have their existing bikes converted. Apprentices using this scheme may be able to claim back some of the cost via the Malvern Hills Upskilling Bursary.
Please make your employees, trainees or apprentices aware of this opportunity.
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SkillsBoost Worcestershire is a new programme to help organisations with the costs of upskilling and training their employees.
Worcestershire organisations can claim 50% of the training costs back, up to £6,000, for their Worcestershire based employees. This means that the new funding can allow organisations to upskill or redeploy their employees to maximise their effectiveness.
Businesses of any size and sector are eligible for the programme as long as the employees they are looking to upskill or retrain reside in Worcestershire. The SkillsBoost programme is being delivered in collaboration with Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and Worcestershire Growth Hub.
Funding for the SkillsBoost programme is limited on a first come first served basis and is only available from Tuesday 2 April 2024 until 31 March 2025.
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As we head into the new financial year this is a good time to access business support, as there are a number of new business support, grants and other funding available.
Local businesses are being encouraged to contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team to find out how their growth could be supported. There is support available for businesses looking to upskill or train their staff, businesses looking to access specialist expert advice, funding for growth ambitions and much more.
Alongside this, organisations can also find out about all of the upcoming business support events via the Worcestershire Growth Hub’s events calendar.
Contact the Worcestershire Growth Hub team on the details below:
Call – 01905 677888
Email – info@worcestershiregrowthhub.co.uk
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The finalists for the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce business awards have been announced.
The awards will be hosted on 13 June 2024 at Worcester Arena and there are a total of 15 awards categories such as Best Use of Technology and Trends and Commitment to the Community.
Nominated Malvern based businesses include: Indra Renewable Technologies, OLPRO, Malvern Panalytical and Lucart Hygiene Ltd.
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Worcestershire Country Council have partnered with Optima UK Ltd to bring you a new workplace health programme 'Work Well Live Better'.
The key focus is to support workplaces across Worcestershire to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees by taking a preventative approach. By being part of the Workplace Wellbeing Network businesses will gain access to valuable resources; including training, events, and peer support. This will enable businesses to take meaningful steps towards improving employee health and wellbeing and showcase their commitment.
Any business of any size (including sole traders) can join this free network and receive access to free events, bespoke support, online resources and more.
Visit the link below to have a look around the website and to join the network, or contact workwelllivebetter@optima-uk.com
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Take advantage of wave five of the Skills Bootcamps programme.
This programme, sponsored by the Department for Education, allows your employees to gain qualifications in a wide range of topics such as as I.T. and digital, health and social care, construction and sustainability, leadership and management, early years and childcare and warehousing and fabrication.
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Got an ambition to gain new clients, develop a solid foundation for your early-stage business and boost your confidence as a business owner? Enterprising Worcestershire’s business coaching programme, could be for you! Award winning coaches will work with you to you to identify goals, challenges, and areas for improvement. What to expect?
- Up to 10 hours of flexible coaching
- A collaborative and personalised approach
- An award-winning coach will work with you to identify goals, challenges, and areas for improvement
- They will meet with you fortnightly to help you to keep focused on your goal.
After a running several successful cohorts, Elevate Worcestershire has announced 90 new spaces are up for grabs for established SMEs with strong growth ambitions.
The exclusive programme includes tailored one-to-one coaching, guided peer-to-peer support, and the development of a bespoke growth plan to set you on your growth journey. In addition, participants of the programme may apply for a match-funded grant from £1,000 to £10,000 help implement these growth plans.
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Grant funding is available to help Small to Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to implement energy saving initiatives including LED lighting, heating and insulation and renewables. The initiative aims to support SMEs to make the transition towards a sustainable and low-carbon future. Malvern Hills businesses can apply for between £1,000 and £8,000.
Grants are awarded on a match-funded basis, meaning the SME will need to provide at least 60% of the total cost of the project.
Net Zero Worcestershire also offers free Decarbonisation Reviews.
Net Zero Worcestershire is one of the new business support programmes part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Malvern Hills District Council and Worcestershire County Council.
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SME businesses can get money off installing electric vehicle charging points and supporting infrastructure for their staff and company vehicles.
This funding is available until April 2025 and can be used to cover up to 75% of the cost of wider building and installation work that’s needed to install multiple chargepoint sockets.
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Malvern Hills Businesses continue to benefit the Malvern Hills Upskilling Grant.
The grant scheme provides funding of up to £1,500 to help with the business cost of training new staff (i.e. apprenticeships, trainee or other). In order to qualify businesses must be based in the Malvern Hills district postcode area, employ fewer than 250 people and pay at least the Minimum Wage to the trainee for a post of at least 30 hrs a week including training leading to a recognised qualification.
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£500 is available to trainees and apprentices to help cover the cost of travel, equipment, tools and clothing necessary to access training.
The support is available to residents of Malvern Hills District who:
- Earn less than £220 per week.
- Attend a qualifying course.
- Are employed for a post of 30 hours a week for a minimum of 12 months.
Please spread the word that this support is available.
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Worcestershire County Council and the Worcestershire LEP invite you to this partnership event on the future of employment support in the county.
The aim of the Employability Event is to raise awareness of what's new for 2024, updates on current provision, great opportunity to network, speakers, share ideas & plans and so much more.
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Bloom Space Lunch and Learn sessions are completely free for attendees. They cover a range of topics that are vital for anyone who may have decided to plan, start or grow a business.
The next session is:
Accounting in a Digital World - 22 May 2024
These events will be informal discussions, over lunchtime, where you can finding out more about the topic, get to know the expert, and network with peers. The sessions are held in BLOOMSPACE Malvern in the training or event rooms. You will also have the chance to have a tour of the building and meet some of the members.
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Work Well Live Better's monthly event surrounds the topic of building mental & cyber resilience.
This interactive online workshop will share practical tips to improve online security against cyber crime as well as giving members techniques and strategies to move through challenging times both in work and home lives.
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Top technology accelerator BetaDen are inviting businesses to their showcase of the founding organisations of their 7th cohort.
The eight businesses have now completed the award winning programme where they have been provided with grant funding, expert advice and more.
The businesses showcasing their emerging technology products include Malvern based businesses MotoCargo, Optimec Systems and Renhi Communications.
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This successful business boot camp series comes to The Bank House Hotel this summer. The event includes an informal networking breakfast, speed networking and six speakers on the topic 'Power up Your Potential'.
The event is free to entrepreneurs, the self employed, and small businesses.
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BIPC Worcestershire has plenty of support and webinars for businesses of any size, follow the link below for the full programme.
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