Coast to Capital
Small grants

Coast to Capital are inviting start-ups, existing businesses and social enterprises that are looking to grow and create new jobs to apply for a small grant. Capital grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 are available to eligible businesses. Because the Local Growth Fund is in the form of a capital grant, it may only be used to fund the acquisition, enhancement or creation of capital assets which have a useful life of at least 12 months. Only capital items are eligible for expenditure for this grant programme. For more details on the small grant go to the Coast to Capital website

Business growth grant

This is a capital grant of between £15,000 and £100,000 to support small and medium sized high growth businesses looking to create new jobs.

Grants of between £15,000 and £100,000 will be available to eligible businesses. Because the Local Growth Fund is in the form of a capital grant, it may only be used to fund the acquisition, enhancement or creation of capital assets which have a useful life of at least 12 months. Only capital items are eligible for expenditure for this grant programme.

Applicants wishing to apply for activities related to research, development and innovation, for example software development, development of new products and prototype development and testing (this list is not exhaustive), should note that these types of projects are likely to involve substantial expenditure that is unable to be classed as capital expenditure and will need to be considered on a case by case basis to gain clarity and agreement on eligibility. Therefore applicants for this type of project should engage in discussions with the Growth Grants management team ASAP.

More details from the Coast to Capital Website

The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) is alerting people to a new scam where businesses are contacted soon after registering with Companies House to pay a “fee”.

The letter from "Register of Companies and Businesses" purports to be linked to Companies House claiming the recipient is required to “confirm their registration”. 

The company request a fee of £190 to register and publicise the new company information. Their website states that the fee is for entry into the register which operates in the UK - giving you the opportunity to use the website's services. 

The letter being delivered states “lack of payment will result in lack of your company`s entry in regist.co.uk”. The implication is that this is required as part of the Companies Registration, when that is not the case.

Protect yourself:

• Never respond to any such communication;
• Any unsolicited contact followed by a request for an advance payment/fee is a good indication that someone is trying to defraud you. Do not pay.
• Never disclose your bank details.

Small businesses from any location or sector in the UK can apply to take part in this year’s Small Biz 100.

Small Business Saturday is the UK's most successful small business campaign. Last year 16.5 million adults supported a small business on Small Business Saturday, with 64% of the UK aware of the campaign.

The Small Biz 100 is a key element of the Small Business Saturday campaign. In the 100 days leading up to Small Business Saturday on December 5, each of  the 100 selected businesses will be profiled across the campaign’s social media feeds and presented to their local, regional and sector-specific media.

They will also be invited to take part in Small Business Saturday events throughout the year and for the last two years have attended a special celebratory event in Downing Street at the end of the 100 days.

Applications are free and close on 17 July.

We have a huge wealth of Science Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)  innovation within the local area it would be great to see this represented at the SATRO's Stemx awards, these awards celebrate and publicise the STEM skills amongst young people in the region and encourage them to make the most of the many opportunities that exist.

Award Categories

There are six award categories, each with a different focus.

• STEM apprentice individual achievement
• STEM apprentice contribution to business
• STEM apprentice progression
• best STEM school leaver programme
• Award for business working with Schools/College
• Best contribution to business from students undertaking a STEM work placement

Benefits for business can include:

Better communication and team work what is better than overcoming a real challenge like clearing woodlands, erecting a shed or helping at a community event to strengthen team dynamics and create a better level of understanding and trust within the organisation.

Why should domestic abuse be a concern to an employer?

75% of domestic abuse victims are targeted at work.  Once a person leaves an abusive partner they are especially vulnerable at work, as it may be the only place they can be located, or harmed.

As an employer you could be liable if you fail to protect your employee from abuse while at work. e.g. stalking and harassment via text, telephone, email and in-person visits. 

Employers have a role and responsibility to safeguard their staff when they are in the workplace

Costs of domestic abuse in the workplace

Domestic abuse costs UK businesses over £2 billion a year in terms of lost productivity, absenteeism, legal and medical costs (Sylvia Walby 2004).

98% of domestic abuse survivors said that the abuse affected their ability to perform their work duties (Ridley, E, et al 2005).

In the UK, in any one year, more than 20% of employed women take time off work because of domestic abuse and 2% lose their job as a direct result of the abuse (Sylvia Walby 2004).

Employees who themselves are abusers may use the compay's resources such as telephone, email or company vehicles to perpetrate abuse domestic abuse also impacts on other members of staff in a range of ways from having to take on additional duties to cover for absent colleagues, to trying to “protect” victims from unwanted phone calls and visits, or feeling helpless and distracted from their work.

What can businesses do?

Whether a large company or one of the borough's many SMEs there are steps that you can take to help managers facilitate conversations about domestic abuse and put in place support for employees. 

Guidance for employers

The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, along with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, have developed some guidance which outlines how employers should respond if an employee is affected by domestic abuse.  This can be found at Managing And Supporting Employees Experiencing Domestic Abuse.

The guidance includes steps on developing an effective domestic abuse workplace policy.  It also contains a list of 10 low cost common sense practical tips to enable businesses to Recognise the problem, Respond appropriately, Provide support and Refer to the appropriate help.

Local outreach and support

Our local outreach and support service provider is East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service.

They can be contacted on 01737 771350, http://www.esdas.org.uk/