Business Support Available
Worcestershire businesses are invited to attend one of a series of events across the county for information about available business support.
Worcestershire Growth Hub and Worcestershire County Council are running the events to help inform businesses about what support and funding is available to help their growth.
Attendees will hear from various speakers and gather an understanding of what programmes are available and what new schemes are coming and how to apply for them. Events are being held in each district of Worcestershire to ensure as many businesses as possible can attend and benefit.
All events are free and will also provide businesses with a chance to network and enjoy refreshments.
Here is the timetable of events:
- Monday 11th March – Worcestershire Business and Skills Conference (Worcester City)
- Monday 11th March – Worcestershire Business and Skills Conference (Wychavon)
- Tuesday 12th March – Worcestershire Business and Skills Conference (Bromsgrove & Redditch)
- Thursday 14th March – Worcestershire Business and Skills Conference (Malvern)
- Monday 18th March – Worcestershire Business and Skills Conference (Wyre Forest)
Timings and booking details for the events can be found via the Worcestershire Growth Hub Events Calendar here.
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Grants for Redditch town centre businesses
Redditch Town Centre businesses will soon be able to apply for funding to invest in improving their customer experience and commercial performance thanks to a new grants scheme. The Redditch Town Centre Business Grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 will be available to retail, hospitality, and service sector businesses located in the Town Centre. These match-funded grants and can be used to improve ground-floor frontages, fixtures, and fittings, increased and improved marketing, and investments in equipment. The Redditch Town Centre Grant has received £30,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Find out more
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Bromsgrove’s commercial and cultural hub plans approved
Plans to create a new commercial and cultural hub on the site of the former market hall in Bromsgrove are now approved.
The 3-part proposal, which went to Bromsgrove Planning Committee on Monday (19 February), includes a pavilion providing a multipurpose community asset in an open plan configuration to encourage creative exhibitions, markets, and community use during the day, evenings, and weekends.
The separate commercial building will provide much needed high-quality office space, a new restaurant on the ground floor and a roof top food and drink outlet, all adding to the night time economy and bringing more people to the high street.
Surrounding these buildings will be the open public space which includes opening-up and re-naturalising the Spadesbourne Brook, public seating and landscaping.
Designed by ONE Creative environments (ONE), which has a HQ in Worcester, and project managed by Arcadis, a large proportion of the project is funded by UK Government following a successful bid by Bromsgrove District Council and North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration (NWedR).
Read the full story.
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Time to move into a new workspace?
If having your own dedicated workspace is now a priority, Space at Hoo Farm Industrial Estate, Kidderminster now has a range of units available to let.
There is a choice of modern workspaces to suit individual business needs including craft workshops, light industrial and production units on the ground floor and offices on the first floor. The Space building is owned and managed by Wyre Forest District Council.
Rents start at £1,892pa for 172 square feet up to £10,140 (excluding VAT) for 1014 square feet. Included in the rent are free Wi-Fi, communal toilets, kitchen, shared meeting room and a compact reception area. Service fees are also included in the rent as is the on-site parking at the front of the building.
To help new businesses to budget in their first year, there are special introductory rates and flexible in easy in - easy out terms. The Council’s business support team can also provide access to business advice, coaching and grant funding.
Read the full story.
For more information and to get in touch with Wyre Forest District Council, visit the Space at Hoo Farm website or email property@wyreforestdc.gov.uk.
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2024 Apprenticeships Awards now open
Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Worcestershire County Council are excited to launch the 2024 Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards.
The announcement comes at the conclusion of National Apprenticeship Week, which again proved to be another successful week of promoting the success that apprenticeships can offer for individuals and employers.
2024 marks a special year for the Worcestershire Apprenticeships programme as it celebrates its 10th anniversary since being founded in 2014. Across these 10 years the programme has worked tirelessly to promote the apprenticeships pathway. One of the major ways this has been achieved is via the prestigious annual Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards.
Entries for the 2024 awards are now officially open, with apprentices, employers, schools, and training providers in Worcestershire able to submit their entries or nominations through the convenient online nomination process. The deadline for submissions is 19th July 2024.
Find out more and enter here.
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BAM receives ‘Excellent’ for considerate construction in Kidderminster
The construction company BAM, which is presently transforming the former Magistrates Court in Kidderminster into a new creative hub has been given top marks by the Considerate Construction Scheme.
An assessment report issued on 9 February 2024 stated “This was an excellent second visit to the Kidderminster Creative Hub site, with the team clearly evidencing delivery on planned activities from the first visit, together with new initiatives. Given the complex nature of the works, BAM are providing a positive image for the industry, both outside and within the site hoarding, showing respect for the community and the workforce.
Congratulations to the team at BAM and we look forward to opening the doors of the refurbished Creative Hub later this year. See more on this development on the NWedR website.
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Free Wednesday Workshop events at Wassell Grove Business Centre
Meet local business leaders and learn new skills at the #WednesdayWorkshops in the tranquil Wassell Grove Business Centre near Clent. Workshops are interactive, informal, and free to attend. Booking is essential as places are limited. 10am start finishing at 12pm. Free on-site car parking.
Details of the workshops are on Wassell Grove Business Centre’s Facebook page and LinkedIn page. Book using this link to Eventbrite.
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Work has started on site at Kidderminster Town Hall
The start of transformation works to the historic Grade II Listed, Kidderminster Town Hall, are now well underway.
This follows the announcement of Worcestershire-based contractor, Speller Metcalfe, as the construction firm behind the project at the end of last year.
The redevelopment will see a complete refurbishment of the café area, transforming it into an indoor/outdoor space which can be further divided into separate areas for group entertainment.
Read the story
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Council acquires Kidderminster town centre Piano building and bus station
Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet agreed to proceed with the purchase of the Piano building and adjacent bus station in Kidderminster town centre from its present owners Nuveen. The acquisition was completed on Monday 12 February 2024.
Funded through the Government’s £17.9m Levelling Up Fund (LUF) grant for Kidderminster, the purchase will enable the Council to deliver an attractive mixed-use facility including the creation of new food and beverage spaces on the ground floor and the re-purposing of the three upper floors to provide a mix of office, co-working and hybrid working space.
Read the story
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Regeneration in Kidderminster - new brochure
To coincide with the purchase of the historic Piano Building and bus station, NWedR has produced a brochure detailing the current regeneration projects under development across Kidderminster Town Centre.
The brochure which sets out the details of the £45million investment in Kidderminster town centre which is supporting the most comprehensive town centre regeneration programme in decades.
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Chamber of Commerce – Quarterly Survey
The Quarterly Economic Survey is now open, click here to take part. As well as collecting quarterly data on sales, cash flow and confidence we are also focusing on International Trade. The survey takes a few minutes to complete, and your data will remain anonymous so please do contribute if you can. By taking part in this survey your organisation will have the opportunity to win a £100 Amazon Gift Voucher.
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Have your say on air quality in Worcestershire
As part of the programme of work for air quality being done by Worcestershire Regulatory Services, a survey has been launched to gather valuable insights from the community regarding air quality and air pollution.
The survey will cover various aspects of air quality including perceptions, behaviours, concerns, as well as suggestions for improvement. By actively participating, individuals can contribute to shaping future air quality policies and initiatives to help make Worcestershire air better for everyone. The survey closes on Sunday 12 May 2024.
To complete the survey, please visit www.worcsregservices.gov.uk/airquality
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BIG Conversation event helps to shape the future of Worcestershire
The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) held its flagship event, “Worcestershire: The BIG Conversation” on Friday 23 February to start the conversation with businesses about the support needed moving forwards.
The event, which was delivered in a hybrid format with physical and virtual attendees, saw a combined audience of over 200. Business leaders, professionals, innovators, and stakeholders from across Worcestershire attended to learn more about the strategy for the county and to share their views on what needs to be focused on.
Attendees heard more about how the county is developing its future workforce, the value of innovation and how we can grow innovation in the county, and finally the business support landscape and what new support is coming to help businesses grow.
Read the story
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National Food and Drink Summit 2024 – reminder
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has recently announced that registrations for the National Food and Drink Summit 2024 are now open.
The summit brings together food and drink businesses with industry experts for a day of masterclasses, networking and pitching opportunities. The annual event is tailored to small and medium food and drink businesses looking to grow their business.
The summit will be held from 10:00am- 4:30pm on Tuesday 12 March in Nottingham. Tickets and further details about the day can be found here.
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