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Welcome to the June newsletter for Swale businesses. In this month's newsletter:
- Attend a course on starting a new business
- Protect your business' intellectual property
- Prepare your business for cruise ship visitors
- Apply for funding to solve business challenges
- Find out about support from the Visit Kent Partnership
- Help shape the countryside through a new consultation
- Protect your business from AI Cyber Threats
Learn how to start a business with the Kent and Medway Growth Hub
Do you have a business idea but aren't sure how to take it from concept to reality?
The Kent and Medway Growth Hub offers a free, 2-day online course designed to help aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage business owners take their first steps with confidence.
Led by an experienced business professional, the course runs from 10am to 3pm on the 8th & 9th of July.
Over the two days, you will learn how to:
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Develop and test your business ideas
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Understand your customers and target market
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Build a practical and achievable business plan
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Explore finance and funding opportunities
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Create strong foundations for long-term success
Whether you are thinking about starting a business or have recently launched and want to build stronger foundations for growth, you will leave with practical next steps to apply straight away.
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Cruise season in Kent begins
The Port of Dover has launched its 2026 cruise season. With 22 cruise lines visiting Kent's shores in 2026, there's plenty of opportunity and time for these visitors to make the journey to Swale during their stay. Businesses in the visitor economy sector can use the new schedule to help plan their promotional activity to attract visitors to their attractions.
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Protect your business' Intellectual Property
The IPO has a step-by-step guide to help business owners identify and protect any creative assets they may have built, such as their business name or logo, and the practical steps to take next.
Discover what valuable assets your business may hold and how to maximise them at the link below.
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Apply for an Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) Grant
Get funding to solve a specific challenge within your company. An AKT grant funds a 3-month project that pairs your business with a university graduate and an academic expert to develop new products, services, or processes.
The project must support at least one of Innovate UK's Industrial Strategy sectors: Advanced Materials, Financial Services, Clean Energy, Creative Industries, Defence, Digital Technology, or Life Sciences.
Deadline to apply: Wednesday, 15 July 2026. If you have questions, please contact Keith Casson at k.casson@gre.ac.uk or click below.
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Visit Kent Partnership options
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Visit Kent has launched their 2026-27 partnerships programme.
Built on feedback from local businesses, these packages aim to deliver clear, measurable value to your company.
Available packages include digital marketing support, press and PR activity, travel trade opportunities, and direct access to industry insights.
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Help shape the countryside – Kent Downs National Landscape Public Consultation
Residents, businesses, farmers, community groups, and other interested parties across the Swale Borough are being invited to have their say on the future of the Kent Downs National Landscape, as a public consultation opens on a draft five-year Management Plan.
The plan sets out how the Kent Downs — one of Kent’s most treasured landscapes and home to the North Downs Way National Trail — will be cared for, enhanced and enjoyed in the years ahead. It also plays a key role in shaping priorities for nature recovery, farming, climate action, access and tourism across the area.
The draft Management Plan follows an extensive public engagement phase, in which more than 1,200 people and organisations took part. They shared what they value about the landscape, what they think makes it special, and what matters most when it comes to its future care and enjoyment. This feedback has directly shaped the draft Plan now being consulted on.
Covering almost a quarter of Kent and stretching from the White Cliffs of Dover to the Surrey border, the Kent Downs is one of the south east’s most visited and valued landscapes. Stakeholders and interested parties are now being encouraged to take part in the consultation and help shape its future.
The consultation is currently open and will run until Sunday the 19 July 2026.
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Protect your business from AI cyber threats
New AI models have the potential to threaten the cyber security of businesses. These advanced tools can find weaknesses in software and exploit code at a speed and scale that was impossible just a year ago.
The government advises business leaders to take the following actions to protect their companies:
- Follow the Cyber Governance Code of Practice to make sure your organisation has strong defences.
- Get the basics right with Cyber Essentials, a government-backed certification scheme that protects against the most common attacks.
- Follow National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advice and sign up for their free Early Warning Service.
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