Video Transcript
Hello, and welcome to the July edition of the Worcestershire Business Support Newsletter. Sadly, it’s not coming home, at least not this year. And so the 60 year wait goes on. But once the initial disappointment fades, I’m sure we’ll all reflect on some great memories from this World Cup and praise the efforts from the England squad in making another semifinal. In the meantime, the Growth Hub and our partners will try to be the ‘Wonderwall’ to your business with various business support networking and events opportunities in plentiful supply. It’s been a busy few months for the team as we’ve been out at a variety of events, engaging with local employers and partners to provide support and help drive economic growth in the county.
It was great to be involved in the Keeping Herefordshire and Worcestershire Working Conference that took place earlier this month. The event was delivered in partnership with the NHS Integrated Care Board. It helped local employers to understand the impact, value and importance of having good workplace wellbeing strategies in place. Keeping staff happy, healthy and in work is crucial for high performing organisations. So for those businesses unable to attend the conference, you can access wellbeing support via the Work Well scheme. Contact the team and we can share more information about the scheme and help to link you in.
Keeping with a look back for a moment. We’ve also seen plenty of delivery over the past few weeks around the innovation agenda. We have delivered business support workshops via BetaDen, helping to break down the barriers around technology understanding and adoption, Catalyse, our Angel Investment Network, ran its third pitching event to support entrepreneurs to source investment to help scale their business ideas, and our Women in Technology and Innovation community also held a social networking event to bring the community together in a relaxed environment and to help grow some of those local professional network connections. And now, looking ahead. With the school holidays on the horizon, the level of support available shows no sign of slowing.
The latest local business support schemes and funds have now been announced, and there is support to help with starting your business, growing your business and innovating within your business. If you’d like to find out more about what the available offer is, please contact the team and they can walk you through the various options. I would also encourage you to view our events portal on the Growth Hub website. This will allow you to stay updated with all the business support events that are taking place right across the county. Events have been added every week, so please stay tuned to that page.
On a Skills and recruitment note. There is further support available for organisations to take on apprentices. Apprenticeships offer a vital way to recruit new staff or upskill existing staff in a cost effective manner. Our team are working with Worcestershire Apprenticeships to help support more employers to utilise the benefits of apprenticeships. And for those who do take on an apprentice, you could be eligible to receive up to £5,000 back and this figure could be even greater with some local grant supports available too, and those are subject to eligibility. Please make sure to contact the team and read the article in the newsletter to find out more.
Working with our Visit Worcestershire Partners. I’d like to make you aware of a few key updates. Firstly, if you are a tourism, hospitality, leisure or cultural organisation, the team regularly run a series of networking events, training opportunities and industry updates designed specifically to support the county’s visitor economy. To see the full list of events and training opportunities, follow the link in the newsletter.
Secondly, the visit team have refreshed their Destination Support Program offer to all tourism businesses in the county. The new Enhanced Partnership Offer for businesses aims to help those who wish to enhance their marketing through Visit Worcestershire’s extensive reach, and also play a vital part in shaping the future of the region’s visitor economy and finally, Taste Worcestershire. The popular countywide food event is returning later this year. This time it will take place across the whole of October 2026.
Now in its third year, the month long food and drink celebration will shine a spotlight on the county’s independent hospitality businesses, championing local produce and encouraging residents and visitors to discover new dining experiences. Worcestershire businesses wanting to be a part of Taste Worcestershire this year need to register their interest by early September. Again, please see the newsletter article for more information and speak to the team about details.
As always, do have a read through the rest of the newsletter. There’s a lots going on that could help your business, and make sure to contact the team to see how we can support your business. We’ll see you next time.
