Take a virtual tour of proposed Redditch plaza plans this weekend
Visit the Kingfisher Shopping Centre in Redditch this weekend (Friday 16 and Saturday 17 December) and experience the exciting new proposals for a new town centre plaza and community hub as part of plans to improve Redditch town centre.
Using virtual reality technology, visitors to the Kingfisher Centre can wear special goggles which will let them walk round the new plaza, which can be viewed on a screen where they will be immersed in the images.
The exhibition will display information and visuals, and the project designers and representatives from NWedR and Redditch Borough Council will be on hand.
The Government has made over £4m in 'Towns Fund' money available to support these proposals, which require various decisions from both Redditch Borough Council and Worcestershire County Council to be able to proceed. There is an online public consultation open until February 2023. Take part in the Redditch library consultation
Read the virtual reality event news release.
For more information visit the Redditch Borough Council website.
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More good news for local residents and businesses
Wyre Forest District Council has been informed that its Investment Plan for funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund has been approved.
The district has been awarded £3.155 million over the next three years. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda. It provides £2.6 billion of new funding for local investment by March 2025.
Improving town centres and high streets, promoting the visitor economy and helping people back into employment are a few of the priorities Wyre Forest District Council is supporting in its UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Investment Plan.
The NWedR team is managing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation for Wyre Forest District Council. The team will be in touch with the organisations and businesses that put forward relevant project proposals in due course.
Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council have also received their allocations from the UKSPF and further information will be available on these shortly.
For more information on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund:
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Celebrating North Worcestershire Business Awards
Finalists from across Worcestershire celebrated at the North Worcestershire Business Awards at Hogarths Stone Manor on Thursday 24 November 2022. Nine winners took home crystal trophies from the prestigious awards dinner with 120 guests.
Twenty-four finalists were celebrated during event which was organised by NWedR and NWBL (North Worcestershire Business Leaders). The event presenter was Robert Elliot Director, Business Development and Engagement at the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.
Huge thanks go to all the sponsors and businesses that made this year’s awards a resounding success. We are already planning the 2023 awards, so make sure we are connected on LinkedIn @NWBusAwards.
Find out who the winners are and see the winners photo gallery selection from North Worcestershire Business Awards 2022.
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Apprenticeship success continues to grow in Worcestershire
The Worcestershire Apprenticeships hub celebrated their 8th annual awards on Thursday 17 November to recognise the exemplar efforts of all those involved in delivering and supporting apprenticeships in the county.
Over 300 attendees attended the 2022 Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards, which returned to a physical awards evening after going virtual in light of the COVID pandemic.
11 winners were crowned, with the highly coveted Worcestershire Apprentice of the year named as Georgina Davies from Worcestershire Acute NHS Trust, sponsored by Platform Housing Group, and Worcestershire Apprenticeship Employer of the Year announced as Redspeed International, sponsored by Heart of Worcestershire College.
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Regeneration work starts in Kidderminster town centre
Work has now started on site in Worcester Street, Kidderminster to prepare for the regeneration of this area of the town centre.
Locally based Industry specialists DSM have been appointed by NWedR on behalf of Wyre Forest District Council to carry out work which will be conducted from the rear of the buildings and there will not be any road closures associated with it. The work is expected to be complete in Spring 2023 to make way for regeneration of this area of town.
For more information on the regeneration of Kidderminster, visit the NWedR website
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Clean Growth Programme
The Clean Growth Grant programme has reopened and there are a limited number of places available for businesses interested in a more sustainable and efficient future.
The GBSLEP are offering capital grants of up to £10k towards the cost of installing energy saving measures (such as LED lighting, solar panels, etc.,) in businesses and organisations within the GBSLEP area.
To find out more information about the programme and to apply, please follow the link below:
Sustainability team support small businesses with grant funding (gbslepgrowthhub.co.uk)
Any queries? Go to sustainabilityhub@gbslep.co.uk
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Worcestershire showcase celebrates county’s top talent
Seven early-stage businesses taking part in Worcestershire technology accelerator BetaDen - recently named best in the UK - showcased their innovations in front of an audience of development partners, customers and investors at a special event at Mazak recently.
The event, which is organised by the county’s technology accelerator BetaDen, is the culmination of nine months’ work for Cohort 5.0 on the programme and took place face-to-face for the first time since Covid-19 drove the popular accelerator online in early 2020.
See the showcase and photos
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Leaders of SMEs invited to take part in government-funded leadership course to boost performance and resilience
Business leaders across North Worcestershire are invited to take advantage of the 90% government-funded Help to Grow: Management Course. Designed by entrepreneurs and industry experts from the UK’s leading business schools, the course helps leaders and senior managers from SMEs in every industry to boost leadership skills as well as business performance and resilience.
To be eligible for the course, your business must employ between 5 and 249 people, and have been operational for at least a year. SMEs employing 10 or more people can enrol 2 senior managers on the course.
The course is delivered by multiple Small Business Charter accredited business schools within the West Midlands. More information, including course dates and testimonials from course participants, is available from:
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Businesses to be given UK product marking flexibility
The UK Government has announced that businesses will be given an additional two years to apply the new product safety marking.
The UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking has been introduced as part of the UK’s own regulatory framework. It shows that products comply with our product safety regulations which are designed to protect consumers.
The government will continue to recognise the Conformitè Europëenne (CE) marking for two years, allowing businesses until 31 December 2024 to prepare for the UKCA marking. Businesses can also use the UKCA marking, giving them flexibility to choose which marking to apply.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy is running a series of webinars to help businesses understand the process of adopting the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) safety markings.
Read more about this and sign up to attend webinars
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Tap into the Sustainability Hub from GBSLEP
Are you a small business who wants to understand your carbon footprint? Would you like to see where you can strategically invest in your business to be more sustainable? Do you want to explore how you can innovate to tap into new low carbon commercial opportunities?
If you have answered yes to any of the questions above, or simply want to see what is on offer from the GBSLEP Sustainability Hub, visit the Hub and see the support programmes on offer.
Any SME registered for business within the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP can receive 1-to-1 advice from a Growth Hub Adviser. Any business with between 11 and 249 employees registered for business within the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP geography can access our Clean Growth support programmes.
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Give your business the Green Advantage
Gain the skills and tools to drive positive change within your workplace. Green Advantage is a new free-of-charge short course from Aston University. It is designed for business leaders, managers and professionals who want to consider the implications of climate and environmental challenges for their business or workplace alongside maintaining business performance and profitability.
Supported by interactive workshops, like-minded peers and a one-to-one business coach, you will learn about environmental sustainability from leading Aston academics and industry experts, hear examples of sustainability strategies being used by businesses today, and build a bespoke Sustainability Road Map for your business or business area.
The programme lasts approximately 12 weeks and is designed to fit around a full-time role, comprising of five workshops and five hours of one-to-one business coaching. The next Green Advantage cohort begins in January 2023. Find out more here or email centreforgrowth@aston.ac.uk for further information.
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Celebrating North Worcestershire business calendar – December 2022
This is the final feature of the year for the North Worcestershire business calendar. It highlights Bromsgrove company GT Access. As you can see from the photograph, there are no limits on the cargo the company can lift!
With thirteen facilities across the country, GT Access is the UKs leading independent powered access company. The team is on a mission to make working at height safe - by providing customers with the right equipment, training advice and support allowing them to focus on completing their tasks safely, efficiently and cost effectively.
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Winter health and safety hazards in the workplace – what to look out for
Winter is here! Alongside the festivities, take time to consider the additional challenges that winter weather brings to our businesses and workers. To help employers and HR practitioners to promote workplace health and safety and maintain a safe and resilient workplace, Bromsgrove based Sentinel Safety Solutions has collated some tips and advice to highlight potential winter health and safety hazards and crucially, what we can do to prevent any potential accidents.
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Merry Christmas and see you in 2023
We would like to wish you a joyful and peaceful Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!
The NWedR newsletter will be back on Thursday 19 January 2023.
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