Welcome from Mark Ryder

Hello and welcome to the December edition of Warwickshire Means Business. On behalf of Warwickshire County Council, I extend festive greetings to all.

With Christmas just around the corner, our wonderful county, and all our towns and villages, are looking lovelier than ever. Please don’t overlook your local shops and small businesses when you are doing your Christmas shopping - exactly what you are looking for may well be just around the corner!

The year 2025 is almost over but the business support on offer from Warwickshire County Council and our partners continues apace, as it will through 2026 and beyond. Our enduring mission is to support ambitious, sustainable and inclusive growth across the whole of the county.

One of the great successes of the last year has been Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS). More than 250 businesses have benefited from the free BEAS audit which identifies ways in which a business can become more energy efficient and cost effective. Grants are also available, but the deadline for applications is drawing near so please, if you haven’t already, book your audit soon.

Also in this month’s WMB we hear how two small Rugby businesses are growing thanks to the Skills Escalator and Start-Up programmes respectively, and how a Warwick business has benefited from the support of the Warwickshire Manufacturing Growth Programme.

Local business support programmes are designed to support SMEs in every sector. A Bulkington hotel has enhanced its profile with advice from Project Warwickshire while a Nuneaton-based education-provider has received invaluable support from Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust. All our articles contain relevant links so please do have a look and see if we can help you.

Our Special Feature tells the uplifting story of how two young people, recruited through the Fair Chance Employment Programme, have proved central to the success of a start-up restaurant in a Nuneaton. As always, we bring comprehensive round-ups if Upcoming Events and local News-in-Brief.

Please do get in touch if any of the programmes could benefit your business.

And, of course, have a happy and peaceful Christmas.

MARK