Business Newsletter - July 2026

Grants of up to £2,000 available

Grants of up to £2,000 are available for projects that will help make St Albans District more inclusive, accessible and connected.

St Albans City and District Council has launched the first round of its Community Project Fund for 2026/27.

Community groups and charities are invited to apply for the funding.

The Council is looking to support projects that:

Improve accessible communication – ensuring information shared across the District can be understood and accessed by all communities.

Reduce digital exclusion – supporting residents who don’t have access to digital devices, or who may struggle to use them confidently.

Engage children and young people – helping them feel involved, able to access services, and empowered to influence change.

Build an Age Friendly District – creating opportunities for older residents to have a voice and take part in local services.

The application deadline is Friday 31 July. More information can be found at the link below.

St Albans Museum and Gallery

St Albans Museum and Gallery was delighted to host St Albans District Chamber of Commerce's Coffee Breaks, welcoming a strong turnout of local businesses for lively, productive networking. With great conversation, new connections and refreshments from the Courtroom Café, the events have been a brilliant showcase of the city’s business community in action.

Looking for a distinctive setting for your next event? From meetings to launches, our flexible city-centre spaces and experienced team make it easy to deliver.

St Albans Spring Festival

Thousands of people attended the St Albans Spring Festival on Sunday 17 May – a free City Centre street party with entertainment for all.

The Festival, returning for its second year, was a celebration of food, community spirit and sustainability, and showcased the District’s hospitality businesses and tourism offering. Among the many attractions were live music, arts and crafts, street performers and around 100 stalls selling takeaway food, drink and other produce.

Thank you to all the businesses who made the event so fantastic this year, notably St Albans Code Ninjas as well as St Albans and Harpenden Specsavers who sponsored the event.

You can read more about the event at stalbans.gov.uk/news.

The events team are looking for sponsors for next year’s event. If you are interested, please contact events@stalbans.gov.uk for a sponsor information pack.

St Albans District Greener Together

St Albans District Greener together is a network of individuals and organisations who share an interest in promoting sustainability.

The Network promotes a variety of events hosted by the community, including a Come and Grow Session on 19 July.   

You can submit the details of any appropriate events that you are hosting so that they are included in the calendar.

St Albans BID

The Ballot for St Albans BID will be taking place this autumn and, if successful, the BID will operate for a further 5-year term (2027 – 2032). Levy payers are eligible to appoint a proxy, if necessary, by 28 September.

More details on the ballot and the timeline are available here: https://www.stalbansbid.com/bid-ballot/

The BID Summer Social will be taking place on 21 July so make sure you save the date! You can see all upcoming events hosted by the BID below.

Hertfordshire Growth Hub

Hertfordshire Growth Hub have events for small businesses throughout summer. The Introduction to Business Growth Planning (17 July) for small businesses is a webinar focused on understanding key growth constraints, why businesses plateau, and how strategic growth planning can create clarity, focus and momentum.

Hertfordshire Growth Hub is also hosting a webinar about finding funding opportunities with GrantFinder, taking place online on 22 July 2026 from 11 am to 12 pm.

This session is ideal for Hertfordshire SME owners, directors, managers, and anyone involved in business development, finance or growth planning by introducing them to the GrantFinder tool. This brings together thousands of grants, loans and finance schemes into one place, helping businesses quickly identify opportunities that genuinely fit their goals.

You can register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1992418484321?aff=oddtdtcreator

You can read more about their other events below.

Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal

Hertfordshire Opportunities Portal Skills Bootcamps help business owners improve their practical skills and achieve their goals through sessions delivered by industry experts. From Business and Management to Social Care, there are development opportunities for all.

See more information and sign up to their skills events at the link below:

Federation of Small Businesses Events

The Federation of Small Businesses is hosting Connect Events in St Albans. The event on 21 July will be held at Co-Space, Jubilee Square, St Albans, and features Emily Gardner, focussing on improving sales techniques. Tickets for this event are available below. 

Amazing Apprenticeships

Amazing Apprenticeships is hosting a variety of events this summer to support small businesses wanting to get involved in apprenticeships and learn about affiliated funding streams.

July workshops include:

Funding, Grants & Levy Transfer: How Small Businesses Can Access Financial Support with Apprenticeships (16 July)

Understanding the role of apprenticeship training providers (17 July)

Office for Product Safety Standards – Innovation Product Advice Centre

Last month, the Office for Product Safety Standards (OPSS) launched the Innovation Product Advice Centre (IPAC).

IPAC is designed to support growth by giving innovative businesses confidence in their regulatory obligations and, where needed, helping to remove barriers so that safe, innovative products can reach the market. It will also strengthen OPSS engagement with emerging sectors.

You can access the IPAC and other advice for business on GOV.uk.

Martyn’s Law Roadshows

The Home Office is running a series of roadshows and webinars on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act (Martyn's Law), which aims to improve organisational preparedness and protective security across the UK. This means that certain premises and events are required to take reasonable, practicable steps to prepare for potential terrorist attacks and to help keep people safe in the event of an attack. Certain larger premises and events must also take reasonable, practicable steps to reduce their vulnerability to acts of terrorism.

Martyn’s Law Roadshows will take place across the UK in September and October 2026, and provide an opportunity to hear from the Home Office, SIA and protective security partners about the latest updates on implementation.

The Roadshows are for individuals who oversee premises or events which will fall under the scope of the Act. Applicants will be asked to confirm that they meet this eligibility criteria as part of the application process.

If you are unable to attend a Roadshow, but would like to attend a webinar, please contact the Martyn’s Law team at Martynslaw@homeoffice.gov.uk. You can access the application form at the link below.

Further resources on Martyn’s law:

Section 27 Statutory Guidance - The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 - GOV.UK

Wider material available via Protect UK - Resources | ProtectUK

Better Business for All

The Better Business for All conference is back for 2026! This event seeks to share best practice and provide an opportunity for networking and sharing experiences. Taking place on 18 September 09:30 – 15:00, you can register at the link below.