Welcome from WCC Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place, Cllr Martin Watson

Hello and welcome to the July edition of Warwickshire Means Business.

I am delighted to be writing my first WMB introduction since becoming Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place. I have succeeded Cllr Kam Kaur in the role and Kam is a hard act to follow but I will do my best to support the business community of Warwickshire in every way I can.

I am really enjoying learning more about the huge range of business support that the County Council and our partners in the region provide. It is also great to get out and about the county to meet all sorts of small businesses and see how they are growing with our support. In this edition of Warwickshire Means Business, please have a read about how that support has helped Adventurize, The Dough House, Access Panel Shop and Clare Harding Coaching.

We also report on an excellent recent event which promoted the benefits of Inclusive Recruitment and the first of a series of events to be held around Warwickshire to showcase the great producers that drive our rural economy.

Our Special Feature shines the spotlight on the businesses which help to protect us all by having an on-call firefighter on their staff - thank you all! 

We hear about how 1 Mill Street has given a vibrant new dimension to Leamington Spa creative sector. And we look back upon the first 'Get Social' event organised by Coventry & Warwickshire CDA which I was delighted to attend to hear about how social enterprises to do much fantastic work to support our communities.

Please have a good read and do get in touch with us if any of our business support could help you.

Best wishes,

Martin