In 2021, Plymouth Sound National Marine Park received a £9.5million Heritage Horizon Award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. One year on, the impact and benefit of this investment is already being felt across the city, with a summer of community activities taking place.
To mark the occasion, Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of the Heritage Fund, visited Plymouth Hoe to celebrate this milestone and the ongoing partnership with the city of Plymouth.
Plymouth Sound is one of the world’s most important and visually stunning natural harbours and is home to protected marine life and seascapes. The city’s relationship with the water is integral to its identity and sense of place as Britain’s Ocean City; it is home to the largest naval base in Western Europe, is a global hub for marine leisure industries and is a historic tourist destination where pioneering voyagers set sail. It was only right that this was the setting for the UKs first Marine Park.
One of the main aims of the project is to encourage greater community engagement with the marine environment and help everyone reconnect with the water. After kicking off last weekend with the Big Blue Splash, the summer fun continues with the National Marine Park visiting green spaces across the city. ‘Sea in the Park’ will take place at Teats Hill (12 August), Keyham (24 August) and West End (27 August).
Endurance swimmer and UN Patron of the Oceans, Lewis Pugh, has been appointed as the first Ambassador for Plymouth Sound National Marine Park.
Pugh was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world. He was also the first to swim across the North Pole, and the first to swim the length of the English Channel from Land’s End to Dover.
As an Ambassador of the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, Pugh will encourage the public to take an active interest in our oceans, and will connect with organisations and individuals from around the globe, further strengthening the work being done by the Plymouth Sound National Marine Park.
Watch the latest episode of Beneath The Surface, presented by ROCKWOOL, which takes an in-depth look at our National Marine Park and how Plymouth Sound is leading a marine data revolution.
We also hear from UN Patron of the Oceans and Plymouth Sound National Marine Park Ambassador Lewis Pugh, who discusses last weekend's incredible SailGP event in Britain's Ocean City.
During the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix, Lewish Pugh, the first Ambassador for the National Marine Park, sat down with ROCKWOOL, sponsors of the Denmark SailGP team, as part of their Into the Depths podcast.
You can watch the full conversation with Lewis covering everything from his role at the UN as a diplomat and how important it is to protect and respect our waters.
Plymouth’s waterfront and port look set to play leading roles in the city’s plans to level up, create more opportunity for local people and continue to grow high value sectors.
Plymouth is pitching for £19,946,417 of investment under the Government’s Levelling Up fund to unlock a £43.551m package of transformational infrastructure projects.
Three key projects are being put forward to drive change by making the most of the opportunities made available through the area’s new Freeport status as well as help create a city where everyone can reach their potential.
The projects intend to deliver innovation, infrastructure and skills across the city through:
- Marine innovation – through the delivery of a Freeport innovation centre, housing high value businesses, innovation and start-ups.
- Modernisation of port infrastructure – upgrading port infrastructure to meet the export demand created by our Freeport, supporting business growth, high value jobs and international trade.
- Transformed waterfront – repurposing derelict buildings to engage, inspire and train our future workforce. Raising aspirations to enable access for all to high value jobs and providing an attractive place to invest, work and play.
If your business is registered in a PL Postcode, all it takes is 5 minutes to upload your company logo, services and details for other businesses to see you and buy from. Get visible by being on the Plymouth Supplier Directory (PSD).
This gives you the opportunity to identify other local suppliers in your industry to make connections, form support networks, buy from and sell to, as well as explore partnerships opportunities
Your 3 easy steps start with clicking the button below:
Destination Plymouth was delighted to host Chair of the British Tourism Authority (Visit Britain), Dame Judith MacGregor over the weekend as a guest. This was Dame Judith’s first visit to the city so it was a great opportunity to showcase the city and emerging National Marine Park at its best during SailGP.
On Friday afternoon Dame Judith took part in a behind the scenes tour of the SailGP Technical Village. There she met the Team GB Sailing team including Hannah Mills OBE one of the country’s finest female sailors.
Senior city leaders including Leader of the City Council Cllr. Richard Bingley, Chief Executive Tracey Lee and visiting VIPs including Christophe Matthieu, Chief Executive of Brittany Ferries, Andrew Harston, Regional Director of AB Ports and David Lockwood of Babcock also met Dame Judith who was impressed with the wider SailGP conservation programme as well as the technical complexity of the sport itself.
Plans for a new multi-million pound district shopping centre on the edge of Plymouth have been approved by local planners.
Consent has been given by Plymouth City Council to transform the former Seaton Barracks Parade Ground site at Derriford. A new district centre is proposed, which would create more than 100 full time jobs and safeguard a further 57.
Three big-name brands have already been secured – Marks and Spencer (M&S) which hopes to build a new Foodhall, supermarket Aldi and Costa, which will operate a café and drive through.
The development will also include a gym, pet shop, a further, smaller retail unit and 12 rapid EV charging points.
It will be built by ADC Kimberley Ltd, which was selected as the council’s preferred developer in October 2019 following a competitive bidding process.
Plymouth Community Homes, the city’s largest social housing landlord, has revealed plans for a £33.5million eco-friendly neighbourhood in partnership with Plymouth City Council offering more than 140 new affordable homes in the heart of the city centre to rent and buy.
A mixture of 1, 2 and 3 bed apartments and townhouses will be developed on land off Bath Street in the Millbay regeneration area adjacent to Plymouth city centre, with modern, energy-efficient homes bordering communal gardens and tree-lined open spaces.
The site, currently being used as a temporary car park bordering Martin Street as well as for some commercial properties, is primarily owned by Plymouth City Council and has been earmarked for residential-led, mixed-use development.
Once regenerated, the area will complete the planned Millbay Boulevard scheme, which will connect the newly created coastal quarter to Plymouth city centre.
Thanks to the Mobile Boost scheme, 900 homes and businesses across Devon and Somerset are to have improved 4G mobile signal in their property.
The scheme, which is being funded through the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership’s (HotSWLEP) Growth Deal, is upgrading indoor 4G mobile phone coverage in rural areas. The initiative aims to help small businesses and homes which have inadequate coverage, or only have access to one provider and are struggling with connectivity.
Businesses and households in Somerset, Devon, Torbay and Plymouth can apply for a voucher of up to £1,200 towards the cost of a mobile signal booster from a registered supplier. The value of the voucher is dependent on the type of technology most suitable for the premises.
The Communications and Digital Committee is launching an inquiry into the future of the UK’s creative industries. The Committee invites written contributions by Friday 2 September 2022. The Committee expects to hold oral evidence sessions from early September.
Background
There are major changes on the horizon for the UK’s creative industries. These are shaped by a range of national and global trends. This inquiry will examine some of the most significant changes expected over the next 5-10 years arising from the effects of new technologies, and explore what is needed from the skills and talent pipeline to ensure the UK’s creative industries can thrive in this fast-changing world. It will also consider the role of innovation and organisational adaptation.
For further information on the latest events, visit Invest Plymouth's event page
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Plymouth Business Network
Plymouth Business Network | Future Inn Plymouth, PL6 5ZD | 16 August, 6 & 20 September
Do you run a business in the Plymouth area? Are you looking to increase your sales? At Plymouth Business Network, you will meet and connect with like-minded business people who can help you grow your business through referrals.
Meet the People & Marketing Expert
Oceansgate | Endeavour House, PL1 4RW | 24 August
In this workshop, Jonathan and Adrienna from Business Success will present ‘How to combine your People & Marketing into a ‘One Force Strategy® to get ahead of your competitors’. This powerful strategy is what saw them come second in the finals of the global competition ‘Entrepreneur X-Factor’ and is transforming the way the world does business, by combining both HR and Marketing.
What Accounts For Trust In The Leadership Of An Enterprise?
Legitimate Leadership | Online | 14 September
Join business founder, Wendy Lambourne, for an introduction to the Legitimate Leadership model exploring legitimacy, trust, contribution and accountability in organisations today.
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships business information sessions
University of Plymouth | Online | 21 September, 23 November 2022, 1 February 2023
The University of Plymouth's Innovation Funding Team together with Enterprise Solutions are hosting a series of free, business-information sessions.
These online events will show how different businesses can benefit from a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project and explore other services for business that are available from the University.
Expansion of Help to Grow: Digital
More small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and microbusinesses can now receive discounts worth up to £5,000 on approved software under an expansion of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme. The scheme was previously only open to those businesses with more than five employees but businesses with 1 to 249 employees are now eligible.
Businesses can now access 30 different solutions from 14 leading suppliers of eCommerce, Digital Accounting and CRM software. Additionally, Help to Grow: Digital will support one-to-one advice for SMEs on how best they can adopt digital technology.
Innovate UK Launches Analysis for Innovators (A4I) Competition - Round 8
Analysis for Innovators (A4I) is focused on helping individual companies solve complex, long running technical problems affecting existing processes, products or services.
Successful applications will be grant funded to work with the relevant funding partner organisations. Up to £3 million has been allocated to fund innovation projects in stage 2 of this competition. Funding will be in the form of a grant. Each project’s total costs must be between £15,000 and £120,000.
Sitting alongside this competition is the A4I Round 8 Mini Projects strand, in which up to £3 million of grant funding has been allocated in stage two. Proposed projects must have total costs of up to £50,000.
The deadline for applications for both competition strands is 31 August 2022.
Young Entrepreneurs Invited to Apply for 2022 Varsity Pitch Competition
The Varsity Pitch Competition rewards UK students and recent graduate entrepreneurs who have enterprising ideas that they wish to turn into viable businesses; enabling participants to showcase their unique, creative ideas to the wider community.
The business/idea must be the entrants’ own idea and/or an idea that they are free to disclose. Additionally, entrants must be able to own and run a business or social enterprise in the UK. The final will take place during Global Entrepreneurship Week in November and the winner will receive £15,000 of equity-free cash for their start-up.
The closing date for applications is Friday 9 September 2022.
New Round of IUK’s Biomedical Catalyst Industry-led R&D Competition
Through the Biomedical Catalyst Competition, Innovate UK (IUK) is investing in projects to support businesses developing innovative health or healthcare-focused products, technologies and processes.
Up to £25 million has been allocated to fund industrial research projects and experimental development projects, focusing on any health or healthcare sector or discipline. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
The deadline to apply is 12 October 2022.
IUK Announces Women in Innovation Awards 2022-23
The 2022-23 Women in Innovation Awards aim to fund and support women with innovative ideas and ambitious plans that will inspire others. Applicants must be confident, with the support of an award, that they can make a significant contribution to a pressing societal, environmental and/or economic challenge through projects across a variety of innovation areas.
IUK has allocated at least £2.5 million for at least 50 awards at £50,000 each. In addition to the grant funding, all award holders will receive a package of mentoring, coaching and business support tailored to their needs. Access to relevant facilities and equipment will also be provided where this is appropriate.
Applications will be accepted from 22 August 2022 until 19 October 2022.
Techstars Launches Pre-Accelerator with Audi to Promote Innovation in Mobility
The Techstars and Audi Mobility Pre-Accelerator is a ten-week programme that provides individual founders, with an innovative idea or early-stage company in the mobility space, the training, tools, mentorship, and network to prepare them for the next level.
The programme will take place from January to March 2023 in a hybrid (in-person and virtual) format. Each founder will receive a stipend of €2,000 per month, for three months. Throughout the programme, participants will gain access to the Techstars network, subject matter experts at Audi, and key stakeholders from both Audi and Techstars. There will also be pitch coaching and 1:1 mentor sessions.
The deadline for applications to be submitted is 1 November 2022.
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