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Welcome to the latest edition of the SVBS newsletter.

This week, we're focusing on boosting your income with ShopAppy ahead of the festive season, our visitor economy survey with Tourism South East Research and Small Business Saturday.

We're also highlighting a new community micro-enterprise development programme, selling to the councils and BIPC's next Startup huddle networking event.

There are lots more opportunities, events and resources to get stuck into this week, but as always, if you'd like to suggest content for the SVBS newsletter, please get in touch with us.

- Team SVBS
Boost your business' income with ShopAppy

We’ve partnered with ShopAppy to provide an online marketplace for independent High Street businesses located in South and Vale, allowing them to sell their products and services.

Businesses in Abingdon, Botley, Didcot, Faringdon, Henley, Thame, Wallingford and Wantage are now live on ShopAppy. Under our current partnership, the platform will be free for the area’s businesses to access until March 2024 (excluding bank / card charges).

We're currently putting together a marketing campaign to encourage consumers to shop with our local businesses using the ShopAppy platform. This will be especially important as we approach Black Friday and the Christmas period.

If you're a local business and you'd like to boost your income over the coming months, get started by creating a ShopAppy account.
Visitor Economy survey - help us to capture visitor data

In collaboration with Tourism South East Research, we are inviting visitors to South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse to participate in a survey centred around our local visitor economy.

We're asking our local businesses to help us to capture visitor data to allow us to gain a better understanding of the sector, identifying the challenges faced by businesses and uncovering exciting opportunities for the future. The findings from this research will help us to shape support for the tourism sector.

There are three ways that businesses can help with our study:

Find out more on the Tourism South East website.
Promote your small business via Small Business Saturday UK

Small Business Saturday UK celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities.

Taking place on 2 December, Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign that is open to all UK small businesses to take part in.

Ahead of the day, the Small Business Saturday team are encouraging small businesses across the UK to register to be featured for free on the Small Business Finder map.

Additionally, a marketing pack is available from the Small Business Saturday website, and businesses can get involved in the online conversation using the hashtag #SmallBizSatUK. Online daily activities will also take place, including workshops and webinars.

Get involved via the Small Business Saturday website.
New community micro-enterprise development programme in Oxfordshire

Community Catalysts
is a social enterprise that can help you to set up a business or venture to offer support or activities in your community for older or disabled people, including people with learning disabilities.

Community Catalysts has been commissioned by Oxfordshire County Council to help tackle challenges around homecare, wider support at home and support in the community in the Vale of White Horse district. This can include community groups and sessions.

The team run a development programme and peer network sessions, to enable enterprise leaders to support and learn from each other.

If you have an idea for a community activity or support that you’d like to run and you want it to be inclusive to all people, regardless of age or disability, visit the Community Catalysts website.
Selling to the councils - register for the
South East Business Portal

The councils buy goods and services from a variety of contractors, ranging from someone who is self-employed to national organisations. To provide cost-effective services for our residents, the councils often operate a joint procurement process, and therefore award joint contracts.

Opportunities to supply your services or goods to the councils are often available, either direct or as a sub-contractor.

If you are interested in selling to the councils, you will need to register on the South East Business Portal. Please note that contracts for both councils can be located under 'South Oxfordshire District Council'.

A list of contracts shortly up for renewal can be found on the South Oxfordshire District Council website.

Further information can be found on our dedicated webpage.
BIPC startup huddle networking event

Come and network with startup founders and entrepreneurs in the Business and Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC), designed to help one entrepreneur at a time, while strengthening the local Oxford ecosystem.

Thursday 21 September   |   6pm - 8pm

Entrepreneurs will be able to discover solutions to the challenges they face through purposeful engagement with a broad array of voices from the Oxfordshire community.

There will be presentations from Oxfordshire based startups, followed by a Q&A session and time for networking. There will also be an opportunity to explore all of the facilities and resources available at BIPC Oxfordshire.

Register for your free place via Eventbrite.

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