Business Runnymede - Encouraging Enterprise

Free support for tourism businesses

Do you work in the tourism industry? Do you want to attract more international customers? If the answer is yes then you need to sign up to a Visit England course aimed at helping tourism businesses reach more international customers. Taking England to the World is a FREE course aimed at SMEs who work in the tourism sector.

Join your community and show you care about the environment

People from all walks of life are coming together in September to host events across the UK to show that they care about the environment and tackling climate change. Communities are joining together with national organisations and institutions, celebrities, businesses, and the media to show their support for a safer climate and nature recovery. Join your community at the Great Big Green Week, 24 Sept – 2 October. Make sure you help others in your area find out about your event, by making it part of the ‘Runnymede Local Green Week’ when you register.

Support to reduce your energy bills

Are you worried about the increase in energy bills? Businesses can access grants from £1,000 to £20,000 to improve energy efficiency. Doing something as simple as replacing regular light bulbs with smart low energy bulbs could save you up to 25% of your energy costs. The New Ashgate Gallery were awarded a LOCASE grant of £2,600 to upgrade lighting from halogen to LED. The director of the gallery Dr Outi Remes explained the benefits. We could not have made this investment without this support, but it has made a huge difference in displays, sales and our electricity use. LOCASE grants will pay up to 40% of the costs of your investment. Don`t miss out on the grants.

Free digital marketing support for high street businesses

Runnymede Borough Council has partnered with social media experts Maybe* to give independent high street businesses 12 months FREE access to social media management tools, training, and expertise worth over £400. The first 20 SME businesses that engage in the online social media training, will have the opportunity of claiming an additional £100 of promotional spend through social media advertising. Maybe* is part of the Government’s High Street Task Force, set up to provide expertise, knowledge, and support to help regenerate high streets across the country. Maybe* helps thousands of businesses like yours connect with their customers and provides all the tools and training you need. It’s all in one place, easy to use, and fully supported by a friendly team. To get started now visit: www.maybetech.com/Runnymede

Grants to help you grow digital

Would you like to get advice and financial support to invest in digital technology to help boost your business performance? Help to Grow Digital is a new Government backed scheme launching in December 2021. If your business is eligible, you can get a discount of up to 50% towards the costs of buying approved software, worth up to £5,000.

FREE business support from leading businesses in your field

Did you know you can get practical, no nonsense support from other local business leaders and growth experts by joining one of the Growth Hub's dedicated FREE support programmes. Find out more below.

Free Net Zero Business Support Service

Businesses in Runnymede are being helped in the Race to Net Zero with the launch of the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership and Growth Hub Net Zero Business Support Service. Every business which engages with the EM3 Growth Hub will be offered a free 30 minute one-to-one advice session with EM3’s Net Zero Sector Specialist, where they will receive information on sustainability and decarbonisation along with signposting to organisations who can carry out carbon audits. The guidance is available to businesses from any sector and is tailored to individual needs. For more information on how to sign up, contact the EM3 Growth Hub on 0300 456 3565