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Join your local Business Guild
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Business Guilds are a great way to be part of your local business community.
Banstead - fully committed to helping Banstead become the most vibrant village in Surrey in which to live and work. They are a group of local businesses that recognise our responsibility to the greater community.
Redhill - enhancing Redhill as a place to live, work and do business.
Reigate - a local united voluntary voice from the business community, promoting commerce, events, activities and opportunities for the benefit of Reigate.
Horley Association of Traders - HATs is an open group that all traders and members of the public can join. They continue to drive awareness of Horley as a town and to promote local business growth.
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Additional government support for SME businesses
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The government has recently announced two schemes to support SME businesses.
£20m for the Small Business Leadership Programme
As the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis spurs British businesses to adopt new ways of working, the government is investing £20 million to improve small businesses’ management, productivity and problem-solving skills through 2 training programmes, at this crucial time in the UK’s economic recovery.
The Small Business Leadership Programme will focus on strengthening decision-makers’ leadership skills, so they are able to address management challenges, some of which, such as remote working, have arisen from coronavirus. The programme will equip business leaders with the confidence and leadership skills to plan for the future of their business, and ensure that they are in a great position to recover from the impacts of coronavirus.
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£20m in new grants for new equipment and specialist technology advice.
Small and medium sized businesses will have access to grants of between £1,000 - £5,000 to help them access new technology and other equipment as well as professional, legal, financial or other advice to help them get back on track. These grants will be made available through Coast to Captial and details released in due course. Read about the scheme below.
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Feedback from the Network Rail - Reigate Rail consultation
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The Network Rail proposal includes plans to widen and extend platform 2, creating a third platform to accommodate longer 12-carriage trains terminating at Reigate and turning back towards London.
Of the 429 responses they received as part of of their survey, 87% of respondents supported the infrastructure upgrade and 72% supported the proposed service alterations, which would allow direct trains to London Bridge and beyond.
Thank you for taking the time to attend their information sessions and completing the survey. Your feedback will be used to further shape our designs and inform their next steps.
Here are the top five themes in your responses:
· Concerns over the proposed service pattern presented
· Encouragement and support to complete the project as soon as possible
· Concerns over the level crossing/upgrade requests
· Requests to improve ticket barriers/machines/ticket office
· The need for more information about the project
They've also put together a feedback report containing more information about the project and FAQs.
Visit networkrail.co.uk/Reigate to view the feedback report.
Book your space to hear Nicola Macdonald
Wednesday 26 Aug 12.00-13.00
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Book into the Learning Lunch to get great content ideas and virtually network with other local businesses.
It’s great to see so many of our fabulous local businesses taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme. Use the scheme:
- to get a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner)
- every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday between 3 and 31 August
- as many times as you like
Diners do not need a voucher to use this scheme and it can be used at the same time as other offers and discounts. There is no minimum spend.
Discounts can’t be claimed on alcoholic drinks or service charges.
See which businesses have already signed up to take part
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Could you business support the Green Homes Grants?
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Builders, plumbers, and other tradespeople across England will need a government-backed seal of approval to provide their services as part of the new £2 billion Green Homes Grant going live at the end of September.
The new scheme will see the government fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements of over 600,000 homes, supporting over 100,000 jobs in green construction.
Tradespeople must register for TrustMark or Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) accreditation to take part in the scheme, which will cover green home improvements ranging from insulation of walls, floors and roofs, to the installation of low-carbon heating, like heat pumps or solar thermal – measures that could help families save up to £600 a year on their energy bills.
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Growth Hub provides free business support
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The Coast to Capital Growth Hub provides free and impartial government funded business support in the East Surrey area which can help your ambitious and innovative business achieve growth. The team can connect you to experts, investors and funders and help you to develop national and international opportunities. To find out more, visit the website which is regularly updated with support resources and government information. Keep up to date with the latest news by following the Growth Hub on Twitter and subscribing to the newsletter. If you would like to speak to the team directly, complete the Request Form and an adviser will be in touch.
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Stripey Stork welcome the Surrey High Sheriff
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Stripey Stork were delighted to welcome Mr Michael More-Molyneux, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, and Mr Shahid Azeem DL, the Surrey High Sheriff, to their Reigate warehouse.
Both were keen to lend a helping hand after hearing how the demand for the service has been increasing at an exponential rate since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, including the distribution of over 1,000 ‘crisis packs’ during this time.
The recent discussions with local schools and referral partners have identified ‘holiday poverty’ as a key concern for the summer holidays, with even more families in financial crisis this year. They have therefore started taking referrals for summer activity bags – reusable waterproof drawstring bags filled with age-appropriate colouring books, stationery, puzzles, games, outdoor activities and reading books. Full of ‘boredom buster’ items and activities, which will help ease the additional financial pressure of keeping the kids entertained over this extended period. To ensure all identified children are catered for, different packs are being put together for pre-schoolers, primary school and secondary school children.
Read more
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Five practical actions businesses can take to support their COVID response
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Make sure you read all the guides relevant to your workplace. Each guide has specific actions for businesses to take based on these steps. Further guidance will be published as more businesses are able to reopen.
1. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment
Before restarting work you should ensure the safety of the workplace by:
- carrying out a risk assessment in line with the HSE guidance
- consulting with your workers or trade unions
- sharing the results of the risk assessment with your workforce and on your website
2. Develop cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures
You should increase the frequency of handwashing and surface cleaning by:
- encouraging people to follow the guidance on hand washing and hygiene
- providing hand sanitiser around the workplace, in addition to washrooms
- frequently cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces that are touched regularly
- enhancing cleaning for busy areas
- setting clear use and cleaning guidance for toilets
- providing hand drying facilities – either paper towels or electrical dryers
3. Help people to work from home
You should take all reasonable steps to help people work from home by:
- discussing home working arrangements
- ensuring they have the right equipment, for example remote access to work systems
- including them in all necessary communications
- looking after their physical and mental wellbeing
4. Maintain 2m social distancing, where possible
Where possible, you should maintain 2m between people by:
- putting up signs to remind workers and visitors of social distancing guidance
- avoiding sharing workstations
- using floor tape or paint to mark areas to help people keep to a 2m distance
- arranging one-way traffic through the workplace if possible
- switching to seeing visitors by appointment only if possible
5. Where people cannot be 2m apart, manage transmission risk
Where it’s not possible for people to be 2m apart, you should do everything practical to manage the transmission risk by:
- considering whether an activity needs to continue for the business to operate
- keeping the activity time involved as short as possible
- using screens or barriers to separate people from each other
- using back-to-back or side-to-side working whenever possible
- staggering arrival and departure times
- reducing the number of people each person has contact with by using ‘fixed teams or partnering’
How to ensure your business is Covid secure
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Surrey Chambers business survey
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As we approach four months since the lockdown started we wanted to find out from you how you and your business are doing.
We have many opportunities to influence government policy so it is critical that we find out what is most needed. Please take five minutes of your time to complete our 3rd Survey carried out in conjunction with Enterprise M3 and Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnerships and Surrey County Council. We promise to take your feedback and use it as effectively as possible.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/QDPVZVH
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Work training for young people
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Have you heard about the Government’s new scheme for Young People on Universal Credit? Employers like you are being asked to provide high quality 6 month placements from Autumn 2020. For each job placement, the Government will cover 100% of the National Minimum wage provided the job is for 25 hours a week or more.
Crawley Jobcentre is able to offer free pre-employment training and a Work Trial to suit your requirements.
This is a free service, in addition to the Kickstart programme.
If you would like to find out more information, please contact your Jobcentre Employer Adviser, Simon, or Tina, who will be pleased to discuss your needs.
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Local company support Lung diagnostic service
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Local company provides support for lung Performance diagnostic service Paul Jarrett, Managing Director of Sonin was working with Dr Don Butler, based in Australia and his son, Tim Butler in the UK, directors of Openair Medical Devices, to develop a solution for a lung performance diagnostic device.
The development of this potentially life-saving device can now progress to the next phase, which is to evolve the proof-of-concept into a design that’s ready for manufacture.
Terzo Digital, based in Surrey, UK provides a comprehensive suite of services for the IT industry, specialising in Operational Technology (OT), the Internet of Things (IoT) and embedded devices. The owners Neil Tubman and Mark Davison provide highly professional software engineering services and products.
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Grow your business on Amazon
"Out of challenges, come opportunities"
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Amazon Small Business Accelerator by Enterprise Nation is a free, online educational programme for anyone who wants to start a new online business or grow an existing one.
The online learning is tailored to your experience level, with a comprehensive curriculum covering website building, selling online, social media, marketing, managing cashflow, selling on Amazon, and identifying growth opportunities.
Not only is the training free, but by taking part you can access events and offers from partners, and join an intensive bootcamp experience.
Find out more
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