Welcome from council leader Cllr Izzi Seccombe

Hello and welcome to the January edition of Warwickshire Means Business. A very happy New Year to everybody.

We start the year 2020 with an edition bursting with information about the wide range of business support which is available to the business community from Warwickshire County Council and our partner organisations.

We feature the launch of the brand new Duplex Fund which, with £5 million investment from the County Council is an exciting new initiative. Please do take the time to read about it - it could be just what your business needs.

If you are a rural business, an RDPE Growth Programme grant could be the key to your growth. With the deadline looming for the latest round of grants, now is the time to lodge your application.

One business which has already benefited from our support is Warwick-based IT company Zenzero and it is great to read how the county council's input, through business support advisor Steph Williams, has helped "transform" the business. Zenzero founder Anne Tasker says: "It wasn't just a case of ‘here's some money,' it was always: 'right - what else can we do?'"

That is why we at the council are so proud of our Economy & Skills team and the knowledge, energy and commitment they offer to business. Why not give them a call to see how they can help you?

A very important strand of the council council's support for the region's economy is our business centres and these are always evolving to meet the needs of the small firms that use them. Eliot Park Innovation Centre, in Nuneaton, is widely-renowned as an excellent base for SMEs and start-ups and its offer has just been strengthened by the opening of a brand new cafe, Number Four. More exciting developments are also coming down the track at Eliot Park.

In this edition we also focus on the Interactive Futures Festival, which will take place in Leamington Spa on January 31 and February 1, and the free workshops coming up which will feature on how to increase your online presence and how to make your SME more visible in the market place.

I hope you enjoy this edition of Warwickshire Means Business. Whatever your business, whatever size or sector and wherever you are in Warwickshire, our wide range of business support is here for you.