Bristol’s International Balloon Fiesta is back and its Sky Lounge private enclosure is ensuring guests get up close to the action in the ballooning arena. Europe’s largest annual ballooning event is once again on cue to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world between now...
Hopes that small business confidence levels in the South West are bouncing back have been dashed by the results of a new survey, reflecting firms’ concerns over the economic outlook. But while there has been a fall in confidence among the region’s smaller companies, some positive signs have emerged...
A social enterprise is offering Bristol firms the chance to take part in outdoors team-building days while also helping local communities and the environment thrive. Bristol-based charity Your Park Bristol & Bath has launched the team days in response to the shift to hybrid working by many businesses, which...
More than 350 businesses from across the South West have already expressed an interest in applying for finance from a new £200m regional investment fund just weeks after its launch. The government-backed South West Investment Fund (SWIF), which was unveiled last month by the British Business Bank, aims to...
Bristol’s Wake The Tiger, the world’s first ‘amazement park’, is to double in size after receiving a £500,000 investment from a specialist creative sector growth fund. The walk-through experience, pictured, opened just over a year ago at a cost of around £2.5m in a former paint factory in the...
Fast-growing Bristol-based all-day café-bar and restaurant operator Loungers has opened its third Brightside roadside venue ahead of turning the chain into a national brand. Following on from the opening of Brightside Exeter, pictured, in February and Brightside Saltash in June, the new outlet at Honiton, Devon, began welcoming travellers on the...
The drinks group behind Bristol craft brewery and pub chain Butcombe plans to make it the leading provider of premium accommodation in the South of England, it said this week. At the same time, Jersey-based Liberation Group is to invest in Butcombe’s brewery in Wrington to increase capacity for...
Confidence levels among businesses in the South West have bounced back from the gloom of earlier this year – making the region one of only two to register an increase in optimism. Overall confidence rose five points last month to 34%, while companies in the region became far more...
Bristol employers are being invited to take part in a new £2m programme that will support hundreds of individuals across the West of England to learn new skills. The scheme, launched by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), is designed to plug the skills gaps in the region...
Passengers arriving at Bristol Airport are now greeted by an eye-catching artwork featuring many of the West of England’s family-friendly attractions. Produced by Visit West, the region’s destination marketing organisation, in partnership with the airport, specialist advertising experts Eye Airports and businesses, the 136 ft-long mural, pictured, weaves its...
Bristol Beacon, the soon-to-reopen live entertainment venue, has formed a partnership with 10 hotels in the city to give concert-goers access to a range of savings and perks. Music lovers will be able to make a night of their visit to Bristol Beacon, pictured, with up to 15% off...
Two more firms from the Bristol area have achieved B Corp status, underlining its status as the UK’s top regional hub for businesses with purpose. Pioneering telecoms reseller First Class Comms gained the accreditation as it marked a decade in business while marketing recruitment specialist Henry Nicholas has also...
One of the UK’s largest regional fund managers has opened an office in Bristol to provide finance to small and medium-sized business through the British Business Bank’s new £200m South West Investment Fund. FW Capital will manage the debt finance fund for the north of the region, providing commercial...
