Business News In South Lakeland

Invest in South Lakeland Business Lunch

SLDC are holding a business lunch and networking event at Carus Green,  Burneside near Kendal on Thursday 22 March 2012. 

Topics include :-

• How Superfast Broadband can help your business grow and prosper
• How SLDC can help your business and the official launch of Invest in South Lakeland  business website
• Open forum

For further details and to register please visit our Business Events page.

The Economic Department within the Council facilitates regular business to business engagement through organising quarterly Business Lunches for all businesses and the South Lakeland Business Forum for strategic and larger businesses across South Lakeland.

This provides a platform to share information, receive feedback and present learning/funding/support/networking opportunities for businesses.

The next South Lakeland Business Forum is on 29 February and the next Business Lunch is on 22 March, go to Business event page for details.

Exporting for Growth - Going Global

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce invite businesses to a UK Trade & Investment Export Event - Exporting for Growth - Going Global on the 24^th February 2012 from 9.30am to 1pm at CREA, Redhills, Nr Penrith.

Spend a profitable morning with experts in the field who will answer your questions and provide you with up-to-date relevant information on entering and benefiting from export market opportunities.

For more information or to book your place(s), contact catherynn@cumbriachamber.co.uk or call 0845 226 0040.

Get Set and Grow Your Business,  Lakeland Businesswomen’s Network Conference

2012 is set to be an exciting and challenging year for small businesses. To make sure you are equipped and ready to face any challenges that your business might face the Lakeland Businesswomen’s Network has put together an informative and inspirational one-day conference on Thursday 15th March, 9:30am - 4:30pm at The Carus Green Golf Club, Burneside Road, Kendal.

To download press release, application form and conference timetbale click on inks below.

Press release (DOC, 112Kb)

 Application form (PDF, 59Kb)

 Conference timtable (PDF, 46Kb)

Super-Fast Broadband

BT have announced a further major expansion of super-fast broadband in the North West, including Kendal and Dalton-in-Furness in Cumbria. 184,000 more homes and businesses in North West and 16,000 homes and businesses in Cumbria have been targeted for super -fast fibre broadband programme. For more information read the press releases below:

 North West press release 15 December 2011(51Kb)

 Cumbria - Dalton and Kendal press release 15 December 2011 (53 Kb)

Additional Funding for Apprenticeship Scheme in South Lakeland Announced

South Lakeland Local Committee have agreed to spend £30,000 on creating apprenticeships for young people in the district. The apprenticeships will build on the successful Pathways to Youth Employment scheme run by Cumbria County Council and offer young people the opportunity to gain skills and workplace experience.  Further details will be available in January.

GSK Press Statement

The decision on where to locate a new biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant drew a step closer when senior GSK leaders recently visited the Ulverston site as part of their assessment of four short-listed UK sites which include Barnard Castle in County Durham and Irvine and Montrose in Scotland. For further details downaload GSK full press statement . 

South Lakeland fights against Recession on the High Street

Figures released this month show that South Lakeland retailers are still bucking the trend when it comes to empty shop numbers on the high street, despite a small increase in vacant units.  Empty shop numbers nationally are averaging at 14.5%, but most high streets and towns across the South Lakes are keeping well below this level as figures collected by South Lakeland District Council show.  The council monitors empty shop numbers every quarter in Kendal, Ulverston, Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside.

Read the Empty Shops News Release for more information.

Be ecoSMARTER: save 16% on your energy bills with a free energy monitor

If you are a small business in the North West with fewer than 10 employees, the new ecoSMARTER environmental programme can help you save cash on your energy bills.

Participation is free and includes: installation of a free energy monitor and online tracker; a bespoke environmental policy, training and action plan for you and your staff and, Carbon Smart Blue certification to support your green credentials.

If you are interested in real cash savings on your energy bills this year, the ecoSMARTER team want to hear from you.

Please call or e-mail us on 0161 237 4630 or, ecosmarter@carbonsmart.co.uk .

North West Fund

The North West Fund is a £185m investment fund established to provide debt and equity funding to SME’s based in or relocating to the North West.

Since Its launch in December 2010 The North West Fund has received over 1400 applications from businesses interested in sourcing funds for growth. To date 38 investments have been made with hundreds more in assessment through the six sub funds that make up the North West Fund. The fund will be investing until 2015 and beyond and aims to invest in 800 businesses across the North West region, safe guard and create 14000 jobs whilst delivering £700m GVA for the benefit of the regional economy.

If you are a small or medium sized enterprise, looking for growth funding now, or potentially in the future, of between £50k - £2 million, contact The North West Fund. Who are helping businesses that have been unable to gain funding elsewhere to start, develop and grow with a variety of debt and equity finance options (subject to eligibility).

Free Public Procurement Course for Businesses

The Government has launched an on-line procurement course called "Winning the Contract".  This is a FREE resource to help businesses (and in particular SMEs) learn about public procurement and how to bid for public sector contracts. 

The course can be accessed on the Business Link website