Newsletter from Fenland for Business

March 2019

Welcome to the latest Fenland for Business newsletter.

We aim to keep you updated on issues and developments within the business sector that may be relevant to your business through this newsletter. If you have an interesting article you'd like to share, or even a positive story relating to your organisation, please do let us know!

We hope that our regular readers continue to find these newsletters useful, and we'd like to extend a warm welcome to our new readers as well!

And finally, don't forget to check out our website here and follow us on Twitter: @FenlandBusiness

Events

Hunts Biz Fair

3rd April 2019
Burgess Hall, One Leisure St Ives
Westwood Road PE27 6WU

This one-day event showcases companies from across Huntingdonshire and beyond and we expect 400+ visitors to attend to form new business connections and take advantage of free speed networking sessions.

If you have any questions, please call 01223 209810 or visit: http://www.huntsbizfair.co.uk/ for additional details

Informal Networking Evening – Fenland

Wednesday 24 April 2019
5.00-7.00pm
Cross Keys Hotel
12-16 Market Hill
Chatteris
PE16 5BA

Widen your connections with business people across Cambridgeshire for free.

Our popular informal networking evenings continue to attract businesses of all sizes from a wide range of industry sectors and, most importantly, they’re free to attend.
Your company doesn’t need to be a member of the Chamber to take advantage of this great opportunity to make new business connections – anyone is welcome to join us from 5.00pm.

Take this chance to mingle with new business contacts, share knowledge and skills with like-minded professionals and catch up with familiar acquaintances.

You will also meet Chamber staff so if your company is considering joining the Chamber it is a great opportunity to ask about the benefits of membership and discover what you can expect to gain from joining our Chamber network.

If you would like to know more please call Paul Gibbons, the Chambers’ Membership Development Officer, on 07759 934111 or email p.gibbons@cambscci.co.uk.

News

Business Related Cybercrime

In 2016, the UK government created the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as part of a five year Cyber Security Strategy to help protect the UK from Cyber Crime. The NCSC not only supports government departments and organisations critical to the national infrastructure, but the wider public sector, industry, Small and Medium Enterprises as well as the general public. When incidents do occur, they provide effective incident response to minimise the harm to the UK.

How to improve cyber security within your organisation - quickly, easily and at low cost!

Take a look at the NCSC guide aimed at small businesses to help protect them from Cyber Crime.

Cambridgeshire Police provide Fenland businesses with a Fraud and Cyber Security Advisor.

Mr Nigel Sutton is a former police officer who investigated economic and computer crime, he is now available to help protect and advise local small and medium enterprises from the threat of internet crime.

Fraud and Cyber Crime accounts for nearly 48% of all recorded crime in England and Wales. Between April and September 2018, Cambridgeshire reported 3,848 crimes of fraud to Action Fraud resulting in losses totalling £7.5M to the local economy, 60% of these crimes were made by local businesses.

Nigel is available to provide more detailed advice to both directors and employees, and offers businesses a cyber security based table top exercise, in which small groups of 3-5 people take charge of cyber security for a small notional utility company based in the county. For more information on protecting your business, contact Nigel via CyberProtectCambs@cambs.pnn.police.uk

Protect your business from Fraud

Fraud can happen to any type of business in many different ways, and no business is too small to be targeted. This means that the revenue, reputation and long-term health of your business could be at risk unless you take action.

Action Fraud is the national police reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime, in addition to reporting crime they also provide fraud advice to business, please click here for information.

Brexit Information for Businesses

Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the UK will no longer be an EU Member State from 29th March 2019. If a withdrawal agreement is agreed, a transition period will run from 29th March 2019 to 31st December 2020. However, if no deal can be reached there is a possibility that the UK will be leaving the EU without a deal. Therefore businesses are being encouraged to prepare themselves for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.

Below are a set of useful links to help you and your business:

The Government has produced a seven-point business tool to help Prepare your business for the UK leaving the EU. By answering 7 simple questions the tool helps you find the exact guidance documents relevant to your business, based on specific business criteria including sector, size etc.

Use this tool to find out:

- what your business may need to do to prepare for the UK leaving the EU
- what’s changing in your industry
- information on specific rules and regulations

Seven-point Tool

Several government departments have recently published information on the steps that businesses may need to take to prepare for our exit from the EU, please see updates here.

Skills

Grants and Funding

Community Impact Partnership

In November 2018, the Community Impact Partnership (CIP) was established by four of the UK’s leading housing associations - Clarion Housing Group, Orbit Housing, L&Q Group and Peabody Group.

With funding provided through the Growth Fund, which is managed by Access - The Foundation for Social Investment, and funded by the Big Lottery Fund and Big Society Capital, the CIP has a total of £3 million to invest until 2021.

The offer will provide flexible financing to charitable organisations, social enterprises and businesses with a social purpose to enable them to grow, innovate or diversify income streams via a mix of grant funding and repayable loans.

This blended finance model will offer investment of between £25,000 and £150,000 to organisations seeking support to, for example, increase capacity, implement new contracts, expand services, make changes to their business model, or to pilot an innovative new approach. The finance can also support core operational costs such as staff, equipment, rent or capital costs to refurbish or purchase assets.

By offering repayable finance, the money repaid will be recycled, making the funds work harder and extending the impact it helps to create.

However, the CIP also understands that organisations sometimes need more than financial support to achieve their long-term goals and as such the Partnership is developing an enterprise support programme to upskill investees. Organisations will have the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders from across the four housing associations and their respective networks.

It is a core ambition of the CIP to support socially focussed organisations to enter the supply chains of the housing association partners and others across the public sector with the non-financial support on offer moving organisations into becoming ‘contract ready.’

To learn more about the funding opportunities from the CIP and to access the full eligibility criteria and Expression of Interest form please see the partnership’s website https://communityimpactpartnership.co.uk/

Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of 16 to 24 year olds (Age 16 to 24)

The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) of 16 to 24 year olds in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire supports businesses that would not otherwise be in a position to support individuals aged 16 to 24 into employment through the Apprenticeship programme.

The scheme is being administered by Peterborough City Council on behalf of both counties.

The grant will be offered to those employers who are eligible. You may receive up to 5 grants in any one year period. The value of each grant is as follows:

- £1000 for each apprentice who is aged 16 to 18 at the time they start their Apprenticeship;

- £1500 for each apprentice who is aged 19 to 24 at the time they start their Apprenticeship.

The grant will be paid as a lump sum direct to your nominated bank account, once the apprentice has completed 10 weeks on the Apprenticeship programme and the necessary paperwork has been received:

To see which employers are eligible or which apprentices qualify please visit the website:

https://agegrant.apprenticeshipscambridgeshire.org/

GRANTfinder

Fenland for Business has access to GRANTfinder which can search for funding sources to meet a variety of business requirements. We would be delighted to share with you the latest round of local funding.

Please contact us here to discuss your funding requirements.

Starting or expanding your business? Looking for offices or factory units? Our Business Centres and factory units offer fantastic facilities - with flexible lease arrangements and competitive rents.

To see our current availability click here

About Fenland for Business

Fenland for Business is the local network responsible for supporting economic development and business growth in Fenland. We're part of Fenland District Council and we're here to support local businesses from new start up businesses, existing businesses wishing to grow, to attracting new companies to move to the area.

Whether you've got a great business idea, are looking to grow your existing company or are interested in establishing a presence in Fenland, we're here to help you with free and independent support.

With our network of partner organisations and a deep knowledge of the local economy, we can help with any business-related enquiry. Our particular specialisms lie in:

• Finance and grant funding

• International trade

• Property and development

• Recruitment and skills

• Resource efficiency

• Supporting inward investors

We also manage a range of light industrial units and offices, including The Boathouse and the South Fens Business Centre, and organise a variety of networking and training sessions.

For more information on how we can help you, please get in touch:

Email us here

Call: 01354 622506

t: 01354 622506

e: business@fenland.gov.uk

w: http://www.fenlandforbusiness.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FenlandBusiness

Fenland for Business is the local network responsible for supporting economic development, inward investment and business growth in Fenland, and is part of Fenland District Council.

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