Featured News
New £1million round of Small Capital Grants programme is launched
"Our Small Capital Grants programme has been hugely successful in supporting micro and small businesses over the last seven years."
Warwickshire County Council is pleased to launch the 2022/23 round of its enduringly successful Small Capital Grants (SCG) programme.
Since 2015, the SCG programme has awarded over £2million to Warwickshire businesses as part of a £14 million package of finance, loans and grants for Warwickshire businesses.
The SCG programme has already created more than 200 jobs around the county.
The latest round of Small Capital Grants funding, which is worth £1 million after a recent Portfolio Holder decision to allocate additional funding to support the programme, has an increased intervention rate of 40%. The intervention rate is how much grant WCC puts towards the total eligible cost of the project.
The scheme will provide grant support of between £5,000 and £35,000 for eligible micro and small enterprises.
Warwickshire County Council leader, Cllr Izzi Seccombe said: "Our Small Capital Grants programme has been hugely successful in supporting micro and small businesses over the last seven years.
"The programme is at the heart of our ongoing commitment to help ensure that Warwickshire's amazing breadth of small businesses continue to employ so many people and power our communities.
"I am delighted that its latest round is now open and encourage all appropriate businesses to get in touch to find out whether we can support them."
A micro-enterprise is a business with fewer than 10 employees whose annual turnover or balance sheet does not exceed €2 million (about £1.6 million). A small business is one with fewer than 50 employees whose annual turnover or balance sheet does not exceed €10 million (about £7.9 million). Relationships with other enterprises are taken into account when determining whether these criteria are met.
Applicants must be based in Warwickshire or looking to locate here and be able to demonstrate significant growth potential. This is defined as an existing business seeking to increase turnover by 20% over the next three years or a new start-up forecasting to employ three more staff or generate £300,000 annual turnover within three years.
Applicants must usually have a minimum of 12 months of proven trading history, however start-up businesses with significant growth potential and trading history will be considered. Priority will be given to businesses with the ambition and characteristic to scale-up.
Priority will also be given to applications from businesses in the following priority sectors for Warwickshire:
- Advanced manufacturing and engineering;
- Creative industries;
- Digital media and gaming;
- Connected and Autonomous Vehicles;
- Low carbon technologies;
- Professional services;
- Tourism and culture.
- Early-Stage Businesses
Businesses interested in applying will be offered assistance with the application process.
For more information or to register an interest in receiving support, please email business@warwickshire.gov.uk For more information about the small capital grants programme, please visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/directory-record/1/warwickshire-county-council-growth-fundsmall-capital-grants
The Small Capital Grants is part of a package of finance, loans and grants including the Coventry and Warwickshire Duplex Fund, a range of economic recovery loan and grant schemes, and the new £140 million Warwickshire Recovery and Investment Fund (WRIF).
For more information, please visit: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/homepage/360/finance-loans-and-grants
Project Warwickshire bringing swift support to hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors
"We have helped business all around the county - there is an example in every area from Dordon to Stratford and Polesworth to Rugby."
A Warwickshire County Council scheme launched to help small businesses in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors has reached more than 100 businesses in its first 10 months.
Project Warwickshire, designed to help businesses bounce back from the pandemic, is being delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce for the County Council.
The project, with £320,000 of County Council funding supplemented by £230,000 of European Regional Development Fund money, will enable the Chamber to implement a wide range of support through to April 2024.
Project Warwickshire has already interacted with 117 businesses, of which more than 50 are receiving support. Skilled and experienced business advisors have supported businesses with developing their marketing strategy, pricing and competitor analysis, workforce planning and Digital Marketing including website and Social Media activities to enable growth.
The project also highlights potential grants, with several referrals to other County Council grants schemes including the Duplex Investment Fund and Small Capital Grants scheme.
To date, 36% of businesses assisted are cafes, pubs, bars or bakeries while 64% have a leisure or experiential offer such as boating, wine tasting, cooking workshops, minibus tours, glamping or bouncy castle hire.
Cllr Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council's former Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place, said: "Project Warwickshire came out of our recovery programme and commitment to support micro and macro businesses, particularly those that have been recently created.
"It has been brilliant in several ways. It has provided valuable advice to businesses quickly, we have worked with our partners really closely and we supported the brilliant small businesses which work so hard to power our communities. We have helped business all around the county - there is an example in every area from Dordon to Stratford and Polesworth to Rugby."
The tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors were among the hardest hit by lockdown in 2020. Tourism previously translated into significant economic value for the local economy, with Warwickshire’s tourism sector contributing £858 million towards local GVA -approximating to 6.7% of the county’s total economic value. The sector employed 22,123 people as of 2019, equating to 8% of Warwickshire’s total workforce.
Project Warwickshire, involving partners including Shakespeare’s England and Northern Warwickshire Tourism, is helping the sector recover by encouraging businesses to look at their future wants and needs.
"Partnership is key," said Cllr Kaur. "The County Council is delighted to provide the funding for Project Warwickshire but we could not deliver this on our own and our partners have the connections and resources to help.
"Our Economy & Skills team is fantastic and very busy, so this shows the power of collaboration. We needed to get this support out quickly so that we can really support the businesses who needed to think ahead and work out what their future will look like post-pandemic. We couldn't do it on our own.
"We have helped so many companies like Go Cotswolds who have upgraded their customer experience so much that they have more bookings then they had pre-pandemic. That is exactly what Project Warwickshire is all about.
"Shakespeare's Schoolroom is another great example. The Business Minister, Paul Scully, visited last week and was blown away by what has been done there and by Project Warwickshire as a whole."
Project Warwickshire is funded by Warwickshire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund as part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale project. It is delivered, on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Shakespeare’s England also working with Northern Warwickshire Tourism.
* For more information visit the Project Warwickshire Website or email BusinessSupport@cw-chamber.co.uk
Let's Go Rural programme will bring employers and young career-seekers together
"With the fantastic support of Warwickshire College Group and the business and education-providers, this is an exciting initiative which could make a real difference to the rural economy and the lives of some young people around the county."
Rural businesses and young people looking for potential careers are being brought together by a groundbreaking programme delivered by Warwickshire Skills Hub.
The Let's Go Rural programme is part of the Warwickshire Brighter Futures project, run by Warwickshire County Council and funded by the UK Community Renewal Fund.
It is designed to open up rural workplaces to 16-24 years old who are unemployed or economically inactive. While kickstarting the careers of those youngsters, it will also help employers to fill their skills gaps
To deliver the project, Warwickshire Skills Hub is working closely, as it does in so many ways, with Warwickshire College Group which has set up several day-long courses to take place over the next few months.
The Draycote Hotel, near Rugby, will host a course, supported by Rugby College. Moreton Morrell College and the Garden & Grill pub, near Warwick, will host courses supported by AGCO.
Warwickshire College Group business development manager John Colclough said: "The Let's Go Rural project is a great way to bring together employers and potential employees for their mutual benefit.
"Rural businesses are struggling after all that has been thrown at them in the last couple of years. The tourist and hospitality sectors have been hit as hard as any and many rural businesses are in these sectors.
"There is a skills shortage and the Let's Go Rural project will help address these by enabling young people to take a look at businesses from within for a day and see and hear what they are about.
"Certain myths persist about jobs in the hospitality sector - that they are all about anti-social hours without leading anywhere in terms of career progression. In reality, there is a huge range of opportunities in the sector - catering, baristas, accounting, event-hosting and co-ordinating, housekeeping, HR and many more. Whatever the skills or passion of a young person, there will be a vacancy to suit.
"It is great that employers and education-providers have got involved with Let's Go Rural and are committed to delivering a really enjoyable and interesting day for the youngsters. We are very grateful to all of them."
Further rural tours, delivered by WCG, Stratford & Solihull College and Hereward College, are coming soon.
Vicki Haslam, senior business skills advisor at Warwickshire Skills Hub, said: "The Let's Go Rural programme is all about connecting people - bringing together businesses which need to recruit with young people looking to embark on a career.
"With the fantastic support of Warwickshire College Group and the business and education-providers, this is an exciting initiative which could make a real difference to the rural economy and the lives of some young people around the county."
Each Let's Go Rural event will take place over one day whereby young people are taken on a morning tour and hear about roles available at those businesses. Over lunchtime there is a breakaway lunch activity where the young people explore their personal skills and attributes and how they might be matched with what the businesses are looking for from employees.
The afternoon brings a campus tour of a local college or training provider to explore the routes into rural work – apprenticeships, full time provision or industry placements.
To be eligible, youngsters must be: 16-24 years old, unemployed or economically inactive (not actively searching for a job) and living at a Warwickshire address. Transport and lunch are included.
* The Warwickshire Brighter Futures project has received £1.1 million pound from the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.
The UK Community Renewal Fund is a UK Government programme which aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches to prepare for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It invests in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.
For more information, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fundprospectus
Entries flood in for Foodie Awards
"We are very fortunate in Warwickshire to have such a thriving food scene backed up by incredible suppliers. The foodie awards are a great way to celebrate what's great about our area."
More than 200 entries have been received for next month's Coventry & Warwickshire Foodie Awards, a prestige event which will celebrate the very best of the region's vibrant food and drink sector.
The Awards, in partnership with Visit Coventry and Visit Warwickshire, will culminate in a ceremony at The Box at Fargo Village, Coventry, on June 16th.
Entrants will showcase their talents to a panel of judges including chef Paul Foster who runs Salt, in Stratford-upon-Avon. Foster’s career has so far earned him a Michelin star, three AA rosettes and a place in the top 50 UK restaurants in The Good Food Guide.
He will be among those deciding on winners in categories which focus on quality, service and innovation, with an emphasis on farm to fork. Categories include best artisan food and drink producers, farm shop, independent food and drink retailer, newcomer, street food trader and chef or cook of the year.
Paul Foster said: "We are very fortunate in Warwickshire to have such a thriving food scene backed up by incredible suppliers. The foodie awards are a great way to celebrate what's great about our area."
New categories this year will recognise Foodie Start-up, Fine Dining Restaurant and Fine Dining Chef of the Year as well as the International Taste Award.
The Foodie Start-up Award, along with the Independent Food and Drink Business Award, have been sponsored by Warwickshire County Council.
"We are delighted to support these two categories at the Foodie Awards," said Warwickshire County Council's Lead Commissioner for Place Projects and Partnerships, Aaron Corsi. "The quality and range of Warwickshire's food and drink offer, and with so much of it locally-sourced, is breathtaking and the Foodie Award is a brilliant way to celebrate it."
The Casual Dining Chef of the Year category will be judged live on stage at the Warwick Pub in the Park event on 12 June with Bake Off winner Candice Brown. The Fine Dining Chef of the Year will be decided at a cook-off at The Farm Cookery School on June 7th.
Foodie Awards founder, Jonathan Smith, of Talk Business UK, said: “We have been inspired by the entries we have received in all of the award categories and look forward to having them all assessed and the finalists chosen for the next stage and the Awards presentation event.
“The Foodie Awards shines a spotlight on our region's brilliant Food and Drink sector and give recognition to all those who work so hard across this sector to give us all wonderful eating and drinking experiences.”
The Foodie Awards will once again raise money for The Trussell Trust network of eight food banks in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Any businesses interested in becoming sponsors are still invited to get in touch via: hello@foodieawards.co.uk.
For further information, please visit https://foodieawards.co.uk
Duplex Fund moves Bear Cleaning to next level
"There was a lot of information and due diligence required but it really helped to formalise our business plans and we are really grateful to have received this valuable funding."
An entrepreneurial family-run business is cleaning up in Warwickshire after securing funding to extend its services from a Warwickshire County Council business support scheme.
Bear Cleaning was launched by former Warwickshire police officer Ted Hunter and his wife, Kate, who was a social worker, in Kenilworth in 2017.
The exterior cleaning business focuses on cleaning roofs, driveways, patios, gutters and wheelie bins for domestic properties in Warwick district, Southam, Cawston and parts of Coventry. They also provide jet washing, gutter clearance, steam cleaning and bin cleaning for the commercial sector in Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
Ted spotted an opportunity to complement the existing collection services provided by district and borough councils and increase the range of options for collection for customers.
After meeting Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Chair Sarah Windrum through a peer-to-peer networking programme, she put Kate in touch with the CWLEP Growth Hub, who advised her to talk to the team at the Coventry & Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT).
They recommended Bear Cleaning should apply to the Duplex Investment Fund, which is a combined grant and loan initiative jointly managed by CWLEP, CWRT, Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council.
The project is being funded by £3.9 million of grants from the Government’s Local Growth Fund and the Growing Places Fund, distributed and managed by CWLEP. Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council have both invested a further £2 million in the scheme managed by CWRT.
Kate successfully applied for a £41,500 loan and £16,600 grant from the Coventry and Warwickshire wide scheme to buy a 3.5 tonne truck to deliver the new service from Bear Cleaning in Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon.
She said: “It was great to meet Sarah Windrum and she was really encouraging about our plans for the business.
“We have three members of staff and we are currently recruiting for a fourth because we are really busy and want to continue growing because we have loads of enquiries coming in and we have built some great relationships with our clients.
“Ted spotted a gap in the market for householders who may want more regular collections. I carried out a lot of detailed market research and realised we needed to buy a small truck – similar to the type you see with a cage picking up litter bags in parks – so I got in touch with the Growth Hub and then CWRT to apply for the Duplex Investment Fund.
“We now have our new vehicle and we’re ready to go. There was a lot of information and due diligence required but it really helped to formalise our business plans and we are really grateful to have received this valuable funding.”
Martin Nwangwa, account manager at the CWLEP Growth Hub, said: “The Growth Hub provides support to businesses throughout our region no matter their size or sector and part of that work involves giving information on accessing funding and grants.
“Bear Cleaning is a great example of a family-run entrepreneurial business which prides itself on providing a quality service and has built a fantastic company despite having no previous experience in the sector.”
Alexander Vill, of CWRT, added: “Bear Cleaning’s submission was one of the most comprehensive we have received for the Duplex Investment Fund and Kate had certainly carried out in-depth market research including the Environment Act which became law last year.
“Recycling and disposing of waste responsibly are really important and buying the truck will enable the business to take their firm to the next level.”
Cllr Kam Kaur, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Economy and Place at Warwickshire County Council and CWLEP board director, said: “The County Council is involved in a suite of funding streams to suit the requirements of the diverse range of businesses in the county. Duplex, which has now administered over £1m of loans was ideal in this scenario and I am delighted that another Warwickshire business has benefited, with an increased choice being made available for the county’s residents.”
Tails up for alpaca farm thanks to local business support
“Sometimes it is just great to have someone with expertise to offer a second opinion...a fresh set of eyes can offer a different perspective.”
A business that has brought alpacas and meerkats to North Warwickshire, creating a new attraction for the area, is looking to expand after receiving support from Warwickshire County Council-backed Project Warwickshire.
Lucky Tails Alpaca Farm was opened by nurse Sarah Booth eight years ago in Hurley and now brings in hundreds of visitors each weekend and attracts local schoolchildren during the week.
It’s home to around 50 alpacas, ten meerkats and several special-breed donkeys and Sarah is looking to increase the number of animals and also create a new café to help grow the business.
Lucky Tails Alpaca Farm is now attracting more online attention too after being helped by Project Warwickshire – a free recovery and growth business support programme to help companies in the Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality sectors in the County, in the wake of the of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Project Warwickshire is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Warwickshire County Council. The support is delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Shakespeare’s England and Northern Warwickshire Tourism.
Sarah, who employs five staff, said: “I set up eight years ago. I used to go running in Leicestershire and I’d go past a farm that had alpacas in the field and it just became a dream of mine to farm some myself.
“I found a plot of land, bought it and bought some alpacas too. The original idea was just to breed them but it’s expensive and it takes a lot of time so we launched our alpaca walks and they grew in popularity.
“We added some meerkats into the mix and some donkeys and suddenly we became a tourist attraction for the area!
“The next phase is to add a few more alpacas and meerkats but we have to be very careful when choosing them. The alpacas have to be the right quality and the meerkats need to have the right kind of personality to integrate into the mob so we go all over the country to find the right ones!
“We really want to add a café too. We do pre-wrapped food but we think by creating a café it would be another attraction for the area.”
Sarah added: “The support through the Chamber has been really helpful. It’s improved what we do on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram after we took online masterclasses and they’ve also supported us by analysing our website and have made recommendations.
“Sometimes it is just great to have someone with expertise to offer a second opinion. You can think you are doing something right but a fresh set of eyes can offer a different perspective.”
Warwickshire County Council's Business Growth & Support Programme Manager, Gillian Dale, said: "Lucky Tails is a perfect example of the sort of quirky, engaging small business of which Warwickshire's tourist sector is blessed with so many. These wonderful small businesses do so much to make the county so very popular with visitors locally and from further field and together form a major asset to the local economy. It is great to hear that Lucky Tails has really benefited from the input of advisors from the Project Warwickshire programme."
Caroline Trainor, Programme Manager at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s great to see Lucky Tails thriving – especially after the issues that all attractions have faced over the past two years.
“We are delighted that we’ve been able to support Sarah with one-to-one help from one of our experienced Business Advisors and provide lots of support and workshops around digital marketing, which is vital for a business of this nature.
“It’s great to see that there are plans for growth and that will only add to its pull to people from all over the region.”
For more information on support from through Project Warwickshire, go to https://www.cw-chamber.co.uk/business-support/project-warwickshire/
Project Warwickshire is funded by Warwickshire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund as part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale project. It is delivered, on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Shakespeare’s England also working with Northern Warwickshire Tourism.
Commercial units and jobs coming to Southam under WPDG scheme
“This will form a major part of Warwickshire County Council’s post COVID-19 economic recovery and WPDG will be our partner of choice in making our county an even more attractive place to live and do business.”
A new Southam-based scheme that will see new commercial units built creating up to 100 new jobs has been approved by Warwickshire County Council.
The 42,000 sq ft industrial scheme will be brought forward by Warwickshire Property and Development Group, the Council’s delivery company.
This is the first investment made by Warwickshire County Council into the Warwickshire Property and Development Group. The scheme will provide nine units of between 2,000 – 15,000sq ft, ideal for SMEs which are starting up or looking for expansion space.
The site at Holywell Business Park forms part of the established Kineton Road Industrial Estate and will bring into use land that has remained unused for many years. The site will be marketed as Southam Park.
Councillor Peter Butlin, deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance and property, said: “I’m delighted to see Warwickshire Property and Development Group take on its first development project which will bring a welcome boost to the local economy.
“We have an ambitious programme to work with partners and external developers who share the same vision as us, taking a holistic approach to building successful, sustainable and high-quality developments.
“This is why we launched the new company, to fuse the financial support and business acumen of Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Property and Development Group board members and staff, so we can invest in innovative and environmentally-sustainable developments.
“This will form a major part of Warwickshire County Council’s post COVID-19 economic recovery and WPDG will be our partner of choice in making our county an even more attractive place to live and do business.”
Warwickshire Property and Development Group was launched by Warwickshire County Council in the summer of 2021 to deliver new affordable and market priced homes and a range of commercial, mixed use and renewable energy opportunities across the county.
Stuart Buckley, managing director of Warwickshire Property Development Group said: “This is an exciting milestone for WPDG as it is the first scheme to be signed off and meets with the vision and objectives of the Group to be providing new economic activity in the County for local residents. This scheme will meet a gap in the market for space for SMEs who are the lifeblood to the economy.
“WPDG will play an important role in shaping Warwickshire as a place to invest, live and thrive. It will help the County’s economic recovery, providing new housing and creating jobs, shaping the County as an attractive and desirable place to live, and do business.”
A planning application for the site has now been submitted with a start onsite in Autumn 2022. Formal marketing of the site is also now underway with Coventry-based agent, Bromwich Hardy, appointed sole agents by WDPG.
For more information about Southam Park visit https://www.bromwichhardy.com/propertyInfo/2233/
Minister hails Project Warwickshire as "real boost" for business
“Local businesses have been receiving a real boost from Project Warwickshire which is providing help including advice, networking and a range of masterclasses.
Warwickshire County Council’s Project Warwickshire scheme was high on the agenda when Business Minister Paul Scully visited to hear how tourism attractions in the county are faring following the pandemic.
The Minister visited Stratford-upon-Avon where he toured the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the RSC Tower and the RSC’s Costume Workshop, then also popped into the newly reopened Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall.
Mr Scully met with the RSC’s Acting Artistic Director Erica Whyman and members of the Shakespeare’s Schoolroom Trust to learn more about how each venue is approaching its Covid recovery.
Mr Scully also discovered more about the County Council’s Project Warwickshire, a scheme to aid the recovery of small businesses in the tourism, hospitality and leisure industry. The Minister discussed Project Warwickshire with Cllr Kam Kaur, WCC Portfolio Holder for Economy & Place, Cllr Heather Timms, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Climate & Culture, WCC's Lead Commissioner (Business & Economy) Matt Epps, Helen Peters, Chief Executive of Shakespeare’s England and Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
Mr Scully said: “Local businesses have been receiving a real boost from Project Warwickshire which is providing help including advice, networking and a range of masterclasses. Alongside government support like Help to Grow, we’re helping businesses recover from the slings and arrows of Covid-19 so we can level up every part of the country.”
Speaking about the Ministers’ visit and Project Warwickshire, Cllr Kaur, said: “Stratford-upon-Avon is one of the many jewels in the Warwickshire crown and a big contributing factor to making this county the best place to live, visit, work and play.
“We were very happy to welcome the Minister and to showcase the many things that make Stratford such a fantastic town. We were particularly happy to share with the minister the progress with the Project Warwickshire initiative, which was primarily funded by the Council.
“We are proud to say that the project has already assisted 53 businesses across the County including a new gin distillery in Warwick, a camel farm and dairy, a cidery, cat café, narrow boat firm and a glamping site in offering one-to-one business coaching, and practical workshops on subjects including social media, marketing, recruitment and creating an online presence.”
Erica Whyman said: “Small businesses are the lifeblood of communities around the country and feed off each other to create vibrant and great places to live and work. It has been staggeringly challenging for all, and the theatre sector is no exception.
“We are slowly beginning to recover from the pandemic, but it will take time whilst confidence grows amongst audiences and visitors. Ongoing support is needed and welcomed and we will work together with Stratford and the wider region to make sure we emerge with strength and showcase everything our county has to offer.”
Lindsey Armstrong, General Manager of Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall, highlighted the support provided by Project Warwickshire to the 16th century building where Shakespeare went to school.
She said: “Project Warwickshire provided the business with valuable insights towards developing its marketing strategy as well as great knowledge about social media management. The support from the team, particularly Russell Grant, is hugely appreciated.”
Helen Peters, CEO of Shakespeare’s England, the regional tourism organisation for South Warwickshire and surrounding areas, said: “Project Warwickshire has been a useful tool in helping many small tourism businesses across Warwickshire to get back on their feet after the pandemic. We were delighted to partner with CW Chamber in providing the business engagement and ensuring not only Shakespeare’s England Members but all tourism and leisure businesses were aware of the opportunity.
“It is brilliant that so many of our tourist attractions and hospitality businesses have embraced and benefited from the scheme already. There has been some very positive feedback.”
* Project Warwickshire is funded by Warwickshire County Council and the European Regional Development Fund as part of the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale project. It is delivered, on behalf of Warwickshire County Council, by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Shakespeare’s England also working with Northern Warwickshire Tourism. For more information visit: www.cw-chamber.co.uk/business-support/project-warwickshire
Startup school launches to support Warwickshire’s 'Olderpreneurs'
"We want to give older people a platform through which they can take back control by launching a business of their own."
Fifty, sixty and seventy-somethings in Coventry and Warwickshire are being invited to join a free online school for ‘olderpreneurs’ seeking to set up in business post-Covid.
The Startup School for Seniors is the brainchild of entrepreneur Suzanne Noble, 60, and Mark Elliott, 57, who came up with the idea of the free, eight-week course as a result of successive lockdowns causing large rises in unemployment for over-50s.
It’s one of five courses taking place across the UK, with funding for the Warwickshire course provided by the European Social Fund (ESF) - and there are 30 free places available.
According to the latest Office for National Statistics labour market data, there are now 550,000 fewer people aged over 50 who work than before the pandemic began - the most significant fall over two years in at least 30 years. At the same time, many older people who were put on furlough or made redundant during lockdown opted not to return to work afterwards.
One in five people over 50 are self-employed, more than any other age group - and Suzanne says that while the pandemic affected the younger generation and over-50s the worst, it’s the older generation who will struggle to pick themselves up in the aftermath.
The online course comprises over 25 hours of video lessons from Suzanne and Mark plus a weekly exploration and collaboration call designed to encourage participants to articulate their business ideas in a safe and welcoming space. By the end of the course, participants will have improved their digital skills via Zoom, and many will have produced a short-form video to showcase their business.
"Covid has changed the employment market irreversibly and made it even harder for workers aged 50-plus to find a job,"said Suzanne. "We want to give older people a platform through which they can take back control by launching a business of their own.
"When people think of start-ups, they tend to picture high-growth tech businesses launched by 20-somethings wearing Converse, but in reality the decision for many people to set up their own company is increasingly driven by necessity and putting food on the table."
Mark advises people to take stock of what they enjoy doing, especially around what's known as soft skills such as creative thinking, adaptability, communication, curiosity and how they can use these to their advantage.
"It could involve them monetising a lifelong hobby or putting the experience they’ve gleaned through their employed careers into use for themselves," he said. "For many of the olderpreneurs on our course, self-employment is also about flexibility and working around caring responsibilities, which affect one in five people over 50."
Of the previous participants in the course first held last year, nearly 40% had made money from their business before they finished the course and 100% reported feeling more confident about running their own business after it.
Startup School for Seniors is free to anyone in Coventry and Warwickshire aged 50+ who is either currently unemployed, has recently been made redundant or is economically inactive. The next course takes place in June - please visit startupschoolforseniors.com to find out more.
Clean Growth: Accelerate Your Journey to Net Zero
Businesses have an opportunity to access expertise from Coventry University and industry experts to achieve Net Zero goals through dedicated collaborative support.
The Coventry & Warwickshire Green Business Programme, in partnership with Coventry University’s Clean Growth and Future Mobility Research Institute, is running a number of programmes to support SMEs develop new skills and expertise to achieve Net Zero goals.
Each programme will support SMEs through a number of interactive workshops and bespoke, one-to-one support to provide them with knowledge, tools and a roadmap to achieve their Net Zero goals.
The collaboration programmes are free to join for eligible SMEs in Coventry and Warwickshire, as they are fully funded by ERDF.
The five collaborations programmes with links to the first workshops are:
Technology Roadmap to Net-Zero: Date to be confirmed
Carbon Accounting:https://Carbonaccounting.eventbrite.co.uk
Metrology for Sustainable Manufacturing: https://metrology2022.eventbrite.co.uk
E-Machines & Drives:https://e-machines.eventbrite.co.uk
Hydrogen Energy Technologies: https://hydrogen2022.eventbrite.co.uk
For further details please contact Gavin Barnett at Coventry University (gbarnett@cusltd.co.uk) or see:
https://twitter.com/cuebusiness
https://www.linkedin.com/company/coventry-university-enterprises-ltd
https://cue-business-solutions.eventbrite.co.uk
"Let's make this a Small Business Summer"
“These latest findings show that local firms remain resilient and defiantly optimistic."
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has published its latest West Midlands Small Business Index report, which tracks small business confidence across the region.
Its findings are based upon comprehensive research that looks into small firms’ recent performance, current circumstances, and future aspirations.
The latest report, covering the first quarter of 2022 paints a mixed picture, highlighting areas for concern alongside more positive trends. For example: the proportion of small businesses reporting a decrease in staffing levels doubled, compared to Quarter 4 2021. This is the first time negative net employment growth has been reported since the beginning of 2021.
There are significant wage bill pressures, with almost two thirds of respondents seeing their average salaries increase during the past 12 months. An even greater proportion expect average salaries to rise during the next 12 months.
The main barriers to growth were seen to be domestic economic conditions, rising input costs and weak consumer demand. Regional small businesses are less optimistic than they were this time last year, although their outlook is more upbeat than it was in the previous quarter.
The more positive findings include two fifths of respondents seeing an increase in revenue, which is more than those reporting a decrease. Almost half expect an increase in revenue in the next three months. More than half of expect to grow rapidly or moderately in the next 12 months.
Most encouraging of all, more than a quarter expect to increase capital investment, with the region’s small businesses being well ahead of those in the rest of the UK in terms of their net investment intentions.
Hollie Whittles, FSB’s West Midlands Chair and director of two local small businesses commented: “These latest findings show that local firms remain resilient and defiantly optimistic, even though they are facing serious challenges. With small firms accounting for more than 99 per cent of all regional businesses, FSB is urging Government and decision-makers to go further - to address the key challenges they face, such as the increasing cost of doing business, late payment and the gaps in business support.
“The message from us to policymakers and corporates alike is clear: let’s make this a Small Business Summer – backing the 99% on which our local and national recoveries will depend.”
Emergency budget needed to help businesses meet rising costs
Business leaders in Coventry and Warwickshire have backed national calls for emergency measures to support firms with rising costs.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is calling for an emergency budget to deal with the costs crises facing businesses and people throughout the country. That is being supported on a regional by the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
The BCC has developed a three-point action plan that would allow firms to keep a lid on rising prices, boost productivity and ease cost pressures.
The proposals include:
- Ease upfront costs of doing business by reversing the recently introduced National Insurance increase until at least 2023/24.
- Help firms manage the impact of rising energy prices by cutting VAT on their energy bills from 20 per cent to five per cent for a minimum of one year.
- Address labour shortages by reinstating free Covid tests for companies to ease the strain on productivity caused by persistent high absences.
Together the three steps would take the pressure off businesses that are battling to keep the economy afloat and offer a route to higher productivity and tax receipts in the future.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “At the height of the Covid-19 crisis, the Government offered unprecedented support to businesses on a scale never seen before.
“Nobody in business is expecting or calling for that level of help again but with rising costs impacting on just about every company across the patch and, indeed, the country, colleagues at the British Chambers of Commerce are rightly looking to the Chancellor to introduce measures to ease those burdens. We are in regular contact with our members and costs are being raised by them time and again as a real barrier to growth and, therefore, urgent action is needed.”
The measures in more detail:
1. Postponing the rise in National Insurance Contributions would not only ease the immediate pressure on companies’ balance sheets but it would also put money back into the pockets of people – boosting consumer confidence. When supply chain disruption has unwound and global factors influencing inflation have receded the economy will then be in a much stronger position to bear the increase.
2. Cutting VAT on business energy bills to 5%, for all businesses, would provide another quick release valve on soaring costs for firms. For example: a small business which has an energy bill of £10,000 and currently pays the standard 20% rate would pay £2,000 VAT. Our proposal would see that cut to £500. This measure could be adjusted over time to take account of those sectors most in need.
3. Many businesses in the UK are still seeing above average absence rates as Covid continues to impact the workforce. Around two thirds of more than 1,100 firms surveyed in April by the BCC reported staff absences due to Covid symptoms or self-isolation. Bringing back free testing would allow firms to limit the disease’s spread among employees. With wider structural staff shortages continuing to limit productivity this would be a key measure to keep the economic recovery on track.
Protect your business with a sprinkler
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service supported the recent National Sprinkler Week campaign to raises awareness of the benefits of sprinkler systems in keeping businesses, buildings and people safe from fire.
The installation of a sprinkler system is a reliable and cost-effective way to protect your business and the people within it.
It often lowers your insurance premium and, in the event of a fire, the damage will be minimal, enabling business to carry on as usual without incurring any loss of income due to closure.
The provision of sprinkler systems is becoming increasingly incorporated into fire safety regulation. It is required in certain types of new-build premises, such as warehouses larger than 20,000m2 , and in other premises it is widely accepted as a compensatory feature.
It may not always be feasible to make structural alterations to an existing building to comply with the Fire Safety Order. However, because sprinklers reduce the growth rate of a fire and can sometimes extinguish it completely, Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service, as the enforcing authority, will often accept the installation of sprinklers as compensatory measure. By limiting fire spread with sprinklers, less structural fire protection is required.
Controlled the fire in the early stages means occupants have more time to evacuate or, in some cases, avoids the need for evacuation. As a result, people on your premises are safer, as are the firefighters responding to any incident.
The benefits of sprinklers are not limited to life safety, but have an equally positive impact on property protection and business continuity. Research indicates that sprinkler systems operate on 94% of occasions and extinguish or contain fires on 99% of those occasions. This mean sprinklers reduce injuries by at least 80%, reduce property damage by 90% and substantially reduce damage to the environment from fire. It should be noted, too, that only sprinkler heads in the immediate vicinity of the fire will be activated – they will not flood the entire building.
For more information on sprinkler systems, please visit the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association’s website: https://www.bafsa.org.uk/
National Rail Show returns to Warwickshire with opportunities for local SME supply chain
William Shakespeare will make way for trains as Long Marston plays host to several thousand guests and exhibitors when the rail industry descends on the district to attend the major rail technology show Rail Live as it returns for 2022.
The show attracts over 5,000 delegates and this year 200 exhibitors are registered, up from 170 last year. The event takes place every year at the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, the Warwickshire home of Porterbrook, and a major UK rail test and development site.
The show is promoted by Bauer Media, publisher of Rail Magazine, and includes live rail demonstrations, displays of the latest rolling stock, showcases of new rail innovation and a full schedule of panels and presentations from key industry and government speakers.
New for 2022 includes direct rail services into the site for delegates from Birmingham and Worcester, and a focus on attracting SMEs, particularly those that are new to, but interested in, getting into rail.
Invest in Coventry & Warwickshire will be exhibiting at the show, to profile the regional rail and transport technology supply chain. The team will also be providing information to businesses looking to find out more about setting up in Warwickshire and the wider Midlands, and signposting to relevant business support for export, skills, rail networks and programmes and access to finance.
The 2022 event marks the first year the show has taken place since rail technology company Porterbrook took over the long lease to the site, renaming the former QRTC site with the new name Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre. Porterbrookplan to retain and develop the site for rail uses, Rail Live being a very good example of this. The event has grown over the years to become for rail what the Farnborough Airshow is for aerospace.
If you are an SME and are either in the rail industry, or would like to get into the rail supply chain, support is available for Coventry & Warwickshire businesses from the Digi-Rail Programme. The project provides support to eligible SMEs looking to enter or grow their business in the rail industry, with a focus on the Digital Railway. Support given on DIGI-RAIL is a minimum of two days and will be at no cost to the company. For more details, please visit https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/partners/sme-support/business-support-programmes/digi-rail/index.aspx
To find out more about attending or exhibiting at Rail Live 2022, visit the Rail Live 2022 website on at https://www.raillive.org.uk/