Small business bulletin for Shropshire, Hereford and Worcestershire

Local News 13 Dec 2024

Local small business news from Linsey Luke, your FSB Development Manager. Updates cover Bromsgrove, Hereford, Herefordshire, Malvern Hills, Redditch, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Worcester, Worcestershire, Wychavon.

In summary

As we welcome the New Year, we remember fondly our Development Manager Mike Goodall who retired at the end of 2024. He made a huge impact on the region and will be greatly missed.

As we build on his legacy, and more forward his plans for the coming year, please stay tuned for updates, special offers, and events. Let’s make this year our best yet—together. Wishing you a successful and joyful 2025!

Featured news and events 

Great Women in Business Meet up - 7 March 2025

This event will see four great communities coming together to celebrate International Womens' Day. Join the Great Women in Business meet up on Friday 7 March 2025 at the National Conference Centre, Solihull, to meet fabulous women who will empower and inspire you. This extraordinary event will help you connect with every person in the room. Instead of the standard 60-second pitch, you will lean to build relationships that grow a supportive, nurturing community. Throughout the day, there will be the opportunity to hear from and meet the four inspiring women behind the 'Great Women in Business Meetup'.

Early Bird tickets are available until 31 December 2024.

Local Networking Events

Join FSB online for our Shropshire/Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire/Worcestershire virtual networking sessions on the first and third Wednesday of each month respectively.  You can book your FREE place via the events page of the FSB website.


In other news 

Are you an SME in Worcestershire looking to scale and grow your manufacturing business?

The Elevate Worcestershire Manufacturing Programme is designed to support businesses like yours with tailored advice, practical tools, and access to valuable funding opportunities.

Through Elevate Worcestershire Manufacturing programme, you’ll gain access to: 

  • Tailored business support to help identify opportunities and tackle challenges
  • The GROWTHmapper assessment to evaluate your strengths and areas for improvement
  • Streamlined grant funding applications for projects that make a real difference
  • Exclusive Manufacturing Masterclasses covering topics from digital manufacturing to supply chain management

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to boost your business competitiveness. 

You can find out more about how the Elevate Manufacturing Programme can help, by booking a meeting with your local Manufacturing Growth Manager via [email protected] or by calling the office at 01664 501301. You can also visit the programme website to confirm your eligibility and apply.

Get a Free business Energy Assessment

The Decarbonisation Net Zero Programme, in affiliation with Business Energy Advice Service, is a Government funded scheme offering over 4,000 FREE energy assessments to businesses in the West Midlands with an opportunity to apply for a grant funding between £1000 and £100,000. Get a tailored recommendation on how your business can reduce energy usage and save money.

Through this programme, you will receive an analysis of the energy used in your building(s), industrial processes and operations through an onsite survey, followed by a comprehensive report. The aim is to identify cost/energy saving measures, provide an independent analysis of carbon and cost savings projects based on your energy consumption, help you gain a better understanding of your carbon emissions, enable you to set validated emissions targets, help you to embed a low carbon strategy within your company and set you on the path towards Net Zero.

More information can be found here.


Still in the news 

Put your Small Business through it’s Paces…

After a successful round of FSB Business Bootcamps throughout 2024, we’re now working up our Midlands programme for 2025! First off the block will be our ‘New Year Refresher’ at Hothorpe Hall in Leicester on 30 January 2025 where you’ll get the opportunity to energise, strategise, thrive and fuel your mind, body and business for 2025. This will be followed by our well-established Business Bootcamp at Coombe Abbey in Coventry on 24 March aimed at ‘Igniting your Business for 2025’! All our Bootcamps offer an excellent opportunity to network, hear from an expert panel of speakers on a range of subjects and pick up great advice and tips which you can implement in your business to help drive your success. Book your place now to avoid disappointment!

Further information on the rest of the programme of Bootcamps will be coming soon, so keep an eye out.


More news and activity near you 


Get in touch

Your FSB Development Manager for Shropshire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire is Linsey Luke. If you'd like more information about the topics above, or if you have news about this area that you'd like to share, please get in touch.