Latest news

HotSW LEP Seeks Four Non-Executive Board Directors

02 October 2020

The Heart of the South West (HotSW) LEP is currently recruiting four Non-Executive Directors for the HotSW LEP Board to help steer the LEP’s strategies and strengthen the LEP’s role as the main thought-leader influencing economic development in the HotSW area, and deliver the area’s Recovery Plan. The LEP is encouraging business leaders in the

Young Entrepreneurs Challenge 2020

01 October 2020

Now in its 3rd year, the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge offers aspiring young businesspeople £10,000 and a mentor to help get their enterprise started. Supported by Unloc and Verizon, the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge is a pan-European online entrepreneurship competition looking for people aged 16-25 with fresh, new and innovative technology-led business ideas. The winner will receive

Support service for Northern Ireland trade goes live

01 October 2020

The new Trader Support Service (TSS) is now live for business, providing education and guidance for traders moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol, including between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Tens of thousands of traders will start to receive emails and letters from today, with details on the launch of the TSS and its

New partnership with Be the Business to help fuel economic recovery

25 September 2020

New partnership with Be the Business to help fuel economic recovery Be the Business, the Heart of the South West LEP, TDA and Destination Management Organisations across Devon and Somerset announce a new partnership to support hospitality and tourism leaders in rebuilding their business post-lockdown. Be the Business is a government supported, business-led, non-profit organisation

Chancellor outlines Winter Economy Plan

25 September 2020

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has outlined additional government support in his Winter Economy Plan.

Kickstart Grant Scheme – reopening for tourism sector applications

16 September 2020

Update: The application window for the Kickstart Grant Scheme closed on 22 September at 6pm.

The Growth Support Kickstart Team is delighted to announce that businesses operating in the tourism sector are invited to apply for the second round of the Kickstart Grant Scheme when the application window reopens at midday on Monday (21 September).

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK Programme – Applications now Open

14 September 2020

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme is now open and taking applications for its 14th cohort and will be starting in early 2021. The 10,000 Small Businesses programme aims to help entrepreneurs create jobs and drive the economy forward. Through the programme, participants will be able to identity and enact strategies to scale

Innovate UK launches Smart Grants for innovative R&D projects

09 September 2020

Innovate UK has launched a Smart Grant funding competition for small and medium-sized enterprises to apply for a share of up to £25 million to deliver disruptive R&D innovations. Funding for projects ranges from £25,000 up to £2 million for the best game-changing and commercially viable innovative or disruptive ideas. All proposals must be business

Eat Out to Help Out: More than 6.7 million meals claimed for in the South West

08 September 2020

6,771 outlets in the South West were signed up to use the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme as of 27 August 2020. This only relates to businesses that have less than 26 outlets. The actual figure (that includes larger restaurant chains in the region) is higher. So far, a total of 6,778,000 (6.7 million)

Start Up Loans passes 75,000th loan milestone

02 September 2020

The government-backed Start Up Loans programme has recently announced that it has issued its 75,000th loan. After seeing a significant rise in the number of applications during the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme has issued £31.9 million of funding between May and July 2020 compared to £22.9 million in the same period last year. Across the