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Welcome to the November edition of Test Valley Business Matters.

In this edition, we've highlighted some useful resources on skills and sustainability in particular. We know that sustainability is an area in which businesses may need help in order to make changes. With respect to skills, we'd like to highlight that reps from a programme called Multiply will be visiting Walworth (15 November) and Portway (16 November) Business Parks to talk about upskilling employees in numeracy.

Our website has a section dedicated to business where you can find information on grants & funding and local business organisations and support. We'd also like to include a Corporate Venues page to showcase the Test Valley businesses that can host other businesses - if you'd like to be included in this, please provide us with a paragraph and a link to your own corporate events page (jhewson@testvalley.gov.uk).

It would really help us to understand the kind of businesses that we are reaching if you would spend a couple of minutes of your time completing this survey (thank you to those that have already done this!). You do NOT need to login - please click on 'Guest' below the blue sign-in button and you will go straight to the survey questions. 

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Please share this newsletter with other local businesses in the Borough; they can sign up at Business Newsletter - TVBC. 

Many businesses are considering how to make changes to improve their sustainability. If you are just starting out on this journey, the SME Climate Hub has a free carbon calculator which will help you to calculate your current carbon footprint: How it works - SME Climate Hub. The UK Business Climate Hub set up by the Government offers advice on steps you can take to reduce that footprint, with information by theme and business sector: UK Business Climate Hub. There's also a free webinar on Monday 13 November being run by Enterprise M3: The Net Zero opportunity: Making it happen.

Numerous events are being held now to help businesses who are trying to operate in a more environmentally sustainable way - please keep a look out on the Business Meetings and Events Diary. 

Free online training in areas such as carbon literacy is available through Innovation South Virtual Campus; further training opportunities specific to the construction industry are highlighted in the training section below.

Hampshire Forest Partnership

Hampshire County Council’s new initiative, Hampshire Forest Partnership, has launched a number of funded schemes for land owners and communities: Funding support offered by Hampshire Forest Partnership

Shoots Along the Routes will be providing free trees to landowners and land managers to create over 630 kilometres of new green networks across the county. The networks will follow the routes of several A- and B-roads and the scheme will support eligible tree planting schemes within a 2km wide corridor along the routes to boost nature recovery. The following link shows the routes covered in Test Valley: Shoots-Along-the-Routes-map-test-valley 

Within urban areas, funding is available to support new mini forests and community orchards. 

Yarn in a Barn

The Farming Community Network (FCN), in partnership with The Mercer Trust and Hampshire County Council is organising Yarn in a Barn: Farming Changes and Challenges starting at 5:30pm (meet from 5pm) on Thursday 30 November at Hurstbourne Tarrant Community Centre. There’ll be seminars on Navigating the Agricultural Transition, Rural Crime and Staying Resilient. Personnel will be on hand from FCN, Hampshire Trading Standards, Hampshire & Isle Of Wight Country Watch Team, and IncuHive.  For further information and to register, please use this link: Yarn in a Barn - Farming Changes and Challenges

Andover BID

Andover Business Improvement District (Andover BID) has secured a new five year term in the recent ballot. This will start on 1 April 2024. Further information about the Andover BID can be found here: About BID - InAndover

The current manager of the Andover BID - Steve Godwin - will be retiring at the end of December, and Shelley Coburn will become the new manager.

Andover Skills Training Fund

As part of the planning agreement for Andover Business Park, a skills fund is in place for Andover businesses employing Andover residents. Any Andover business employing up to 100 workers can apply for funding to offer skills training to residents who live within the SP10 postcode area, or Augusta Park, Picket Piece, Locksbridge Park or Picket Twenty. 

An Andover business can secure up to £1500 funding per year, with a maximum grant of £500 per employee. It cannot be used for training that is required by law (such as statutory fire or health and safety training), but all other courses will be considered. If the cost exceeds one of the limits, you simply need to make up the difference. For further information or to apply, please see Andover Skills Training Fund.

Training for green retrofits and heating

The Government's Home Decarbonisation Skills Training scheme and Heat Training Grants can provide funding towards the cost of training workers in retrofitting and installing insulation, and installing and maintaining heat networks. Applicants can sign up for training through their chosen provider for courses between now and April 2024.

Details of providers of the Home Decarbonisation Skill training are given here: Home Decarbonisation Skills Training - GOV.UK.  Innovation South Virtual Campus also provides a free online course on domestic retrofitting. 

Details of eligibility for the heat training scheme are here: Discounted heat pump training - GOV.UK. The nearest training providers in the Government scheme are Hampshire Training and Assessments Ltd. and Grant Training Courses.

Upskilling

If you have employees who need to upskill in maths, you can access Multiply, a fully funded Government programme that aims to help adults improve their numeracy skills. Courses are free and cover up to Level 4 (grade C) GCSE. Sessions can be delivered on line or in person, during the day or in the evening. Multiply can also deliver bespoke courses tailored to your business needs. For further information see Multiply for Businesses | Hampshire County Council. The Multiply team is visiting Walworth Business Park (Lidl car park) from 2pm on Wednesday 15 November and Portway Business Park (car park behind McDonald's opposite Tool Station)  from 2pm on Thursday 16 November to talk to employers and employees - please talk to them and see how they can help you.

Romsey Community Services offer a range of courses for adults age 19+. Forthcoming courses include Preparing for Work, Digital Skills for Work, English for Speakers of Other Languages and Level 3 Childcare. There are also a number of courses to help people with confidence and managing anxiety. Courses may take place in Andover, Basingstoke, Winchester or online. Most are free. For further information see Community Education Courses – RCS.

Employee health & disability

The Department for Work and Pensions has an interactive site which offers advice and guidance if you have an employee with health issues or a disability. The site asks questions about your situation starting with whether the employee is off sick or in work. Based on your answers, it will give some tailored advice as to what you need to do as the employer. The link to the site is here: Support with employee health and disability – GOV.UK

Export advice for SMEs

The Department for Business and Trade has produced a toolkit containing advice, top tips and support for SMEs looking to grow their business in the UK and export to markets such as the USA. Toolkit for small businesses - GOV.UK

Digital marketing and social media

We know that digital marketing and social media engagement provide great opportunities but can also be daunting and time-consuming for small businesses. Innovation South Virtual Campus offers a free online digital marketing and both the FSB and Hampshire Chamber of Commerce have upcoming events in this area (see details in the forthcoming events section below)  NiceTimeSocial also offers free resources for SMEs on social media use and will give 20% off any paid resource to Test Valley businesses with the code TESTVALLEY20: NiceTime Social.

The UK Government has announced that recognition of the CE Mark as an alternative to the UKCA mark will continue indefinitely for most goods being placed on the market in Great Britain. This effectively revokes the previous mandatory requirement for the UKCA mark to be placed on applicable goods after December 2024. Further information is available here: UKCA marking - GOV.UK

Please find a round up of events local to Test Valley that are open to all. We will also keep a list of forthcoming events on our website at Business Meetings and Events Diary. If you would like us to include a future event, please email Jackie (jhewson@testvalley.gov.uk). 

Regular events

The Natural Business Network promotes networking amongst businesses in Andover. It runs Zoom meetings every Thursday at both 7:30 am and 10 am. It also runs face to face networking events in Andover every month: There is an informal networking and coffee morning on the first Tuesday of every month, a breakfast meeting on the third Wednesday of the month, and a social get together and network meeting on the last Friday of each month. For further details see  NBN Meetings & Events or contact naturalbusinessnetwork@gmail.com.

Romsey Mutual Business Group runs Networking breakfasts every month at The White Horse Hotel Romsey. To see all the dates and book, go to: Romsey Networking - RMBG (romseymbg.co.uk).

Romsey Chamber of Commerce holds a regular afterwork social from 5:30-7pm on the first Friday of every month. You are welcome to just turn up. Details of which Romsey venue will be used each month can be found at Networking & Events – Romsey Chamber.

Hampshire Chambers of Commerce runs a wide range of International Trade training workshops for both Members and Non-Members. To see the specific topics and dates, please visit: Training: International trade.

Specific dates for your diary

13 November 2023 – Enterprise M3 – Net Zero Opportunity – Making it Happen. Free webinar. Register at The Net Zero opportunity: Making it happen

16 November 2023 – Venturefest South – Festival of innovation / entrepreneurship. The Ageas Bowl Southampton. Venturefest South

22 November 2023 - Hampshire Chamber of Commerce - How To Make Your Video Marketing Stand Out. Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. Open to members and non-members – see website for costs. Video Marketing event

22 November 2023 – NBN networking - The Business of Art, and Christmas buffet. The Old Grain Store, Goodworth Clatford. Contact NBN for more information. naturalbusinessnetwork@gmail.com  

24 November 2023 – SYOB – How to Start a Business. Online workshop. Link: Free Start-Up Workshop

28 November 2023 – Enterprise South – How marketing and business development drive your business. Virtual workshop. Free. Marketing and business development workshop

30 November 2023 – Farming Community Network - Yarn in a Barn: Farming Changes and Challenges. Seminars on Navigating the Agricultural Transition, Rural Crime, and Staying Resilient. Free evening event at Hurstbourne Tarrant Community Centre. Register at: Yarn in a Barn - Farming Changes and Challenges 

The FSB also runs a November Small Business School in which they offer a choice of 2-hour sessions on the following topics (scroll down the webpage to find links to your session of choice):  Finance – Managing your accounts and cash flow (14 or 16 November 2023) Video – Using video to promote your business (21 or 23 November 2023) Social media plan - Identifying where to find your customers and how to plan your social media (28 or 30 November 2023). Each session costs £40 for non-FSB members and £20 for FSB members.

3 December 2023 – NBN networking - Christmas lunch. The Gin Palace, Andover. Contact NBN for more information. naturalbusinessnetwork@gmail.com 

7 December 2023 – Minerva Communication – People, Planet, Pastry networking event focused on sustainability. 10:00-11:30 Army Flying Museum, Middle Wallop SO20 8FB. Email info@minervacomms.net to see if there are still spaces.

13 December 2023 – Enterprise M3 – Net Zero Opportunity – Future proofing. Free webinar. Register at Net Zero - Future proofing

15 December 2023 – SYOB – How to Start a Business. Online workshop. Link: Free Start-Up Workshop

9 January 2024 – University of Winchester – The Future World of Work. Conference on the changing world of work and impact of new technology. Register interest at: The Future World of Work

31 January 2024 – Enterprise M3 – Net Zero Opportunity: 360 approach. Webinar. Register at Register at The Net Zero Opportunity - 360

6 February 2024 – Business South – Local Produce Trade Show for buyers Local Produce Trade Show (Buyers) and exhibitors Local Produce Trade Show (Exhibitors) - Hilton at the Ageas Bowl.

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