If you would like to understand your business better and help it to grow, SaveTheHighStreets.org is offering independent high street retailers in the District a 4 or 8 week free health check.

The aim is to enable individuals to look at their businesses in ways they may never have done before and delve into what makes a successful business on the High Street.

If you run an independent high street business and would like to know more, please contact: lorna.lewis@savethehighstreet.org / joanne.arthur@savethehighstreet.org.

First launched in 2020, Get Enterprising is a Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) programme that helps early-stage businesses to start, grow and flourish within the county. The programme is delivered on behalf of the LEP by business support experts Wenta and STANTA (which assists businesses located in postcodes AL1-5) and is set to run until 2025.

Get Enterprising supports Hertfordshire start-ups that have been operating for under five years. The service is free of charge and aims to stabilise early-start businesses and set them on a trajectory of growth, helping boost local job creation and economic contribution.

One of the key features currently available through the programme is the live chat service, providing direct 1-2-1 support on all business-related queries and questions. Find out more information on this service and the wider UKSPF Herts Get Enterprising Programme here.

Nominations have opened for next year’s St Albans Mayor’s Pride Awards - including one for an individual or organisation that has brought the generations together.

The awards celebrate extraordinary people and outstanding community groups that make a positive contribution to St Albans District.

Councillor Anthony Rowlands, Mayor of St Albans City and District, has made All Ages Together the theme of his year in office and will make a special award to recognise a contribution towards the promotion of “intergenerational activities.”

You can nominate your community heroes from now until 21 January.

32% of small businesses were the victim of a cyber-attack last year, and yet many SMEs are not aware of online crime as a real threat that exists to their organisation.

The Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre (ECRC) supports and helps protect SMEs, supply chain businesses and third sector organisations in the East of England against cyber crime. 

They can provide you with timely guidance to prepare and protect your business, staff, and clients from cyber criminals, with key information about cyber threats, and basic practices that help mitigate the risk

The ECRC is part of a national network of cyber resilience centres, working closely with the Police Cyber Protect Network and promoting official guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Find out more information on the services offered by ECRC here.

With 1 in 6 workers experiencing a mental health issue in the past week, is it time to check in with your employees' health and wellbeing?

Hertfordshire County Council is working with small and medium sized businesses from the private and voluntary sectors to lead the way to healthier workplaces in Hertfordshire for everyone. Their Herts Healthy Workplace programme will address any health concerns in the workplace by offering personalised advice, support and training to help you make the changes you need for a healthier and happier workplace.

You can start your journey from January 2024 and get registered now.

For further information, email workplace.health@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

St Albans City and District Council is offering restaurants, pubs, cafés and other hospitality businesses a mentoring service to help achieve the highest possible food safety standards.

The service run by the Food, Health and Safety Team will provide food safety training for staff, mentoring and advice on key issues.

If you are a new business or an existing business wishing to improve, this service will benefit by assisting to help  fully comply with food safety legislation and help to achieve/maintain good scoring under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS).

Communities 1^st is a delivery partner for the Government’s Multiply programme, which aims to upskill adult numeracy by delivering courses and workshops on themes such as Managing your Personal Finances, Time Management, Excel skills, Budgeting and more.

They have funding to deliver 6 hours’ worth of free training workshops per employee to Herts based businesses.

The aim of the programme is to reach employees with below grade C or equivalent in GCSE Maths, but we can open the workshops up to any employee that feels they would benefit from refreshing their numeracy skills.

For more information contact training@communities1st.org.uk or 01727 649960.

As the cost-of-living continues to rise, it’s not surprising that almost half of employers now have a financial wellbeing policy in place to support their staff. Rising costs may not only affect your staff in their daily lives, but also your business.

Step2Skills offer Hertfordshire employers free short workshops to help staff navigate the increasing cost-of-living by gaining key budgeting skills. 

Workshops are offered as part of the government-funded Multiply program to improve people’s number skills. They are free to you, free to your staff, and free up headspace so that your workforce can worry a little less about money and focus more on the job in hand.

The Council’s Planning team has streamlined the service and updated its phone line opening times. They are now:

Monday to Friday 09:00 to 13:00

You can access our Planning Duty Managers twice a week:

Tuesdays 10:00 – 12:00

Thursdays 10:00 – 12:00

The online service is available 24/7, where you can view and track current applications, explore the Local Plan, make a new planning application plus much more.

For more details and how to support/get involved, visit the Emmaus website.