The Winter Economic Plan announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak today may help stave off mass unemployment, but it failed to target support to those sectors that need it most, according to the West of England’s largest business organisation. Business West, which runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce, along with other...
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled his Winter Economy Plan to help businesses and their employees as Covid-19 continues to have a devastating impact. The key points are: A Jobs Support Scheme for employees will replace the furlough scheme, which effectively paid people not to work. Under this new scheme,...
The window for claiming the second grant under the self-employed income support scheme opened on August 17 and closes on October 19. Traders do not have to have claimed the first grant in order to qualify for the second, but their business must have been adversely affected by Covid-19 on or after July...
Business West, the organisation behind Bristol Chamber of Commerce, today called for a comprehensive support package for firms hit by the latest coronavirus measures. With the number of cases of Covid-19 rising again – promoting a new raft of restrictions on businesses – Business West urged the government to...
Bristol’s food and drink producers will have an opportunity to meet commercial trade officers working across the world tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22, at the first-ever virtual Meet the Market Expert event. It is being organised by the Department for International Trade (DIT) in conjunction with the Great British Food...
Bristol’s biggest virtual business showcase will next week highlight many of the city’s firms that innovating in the age of coronavirus. The Bristol Business Festival on Wednesday and Thursday promises “high-value content, great engagement and the positive boost we all need in these challenging times”, according to its organisers. It will...
Alexandra, the workwear company, has been praised for producing clear face coverings to help deaf and hard-of-hearing people communicate during the coronavirus pandemic. The Thornbury-based firm, which has been designing and manufacturing garments since 1854, was approached by clients in the healthcare and education sectors to come up with...
Bristol’s economy will shrink by just over 9% this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic but should recover strongly next year, according to a new forecast. According to global accountancy group KPMG, the decline in the city’s gross value added (GVA) – at 9.2% this year –...
Quartet, the community foundation covering Bristol and the West of England, has appointed its philanthropy director Ronnie Brown as interim CEO following the departure of Sue Turner. Sue, pictured, who has led the organisation for more than five years – a period in which she helped more than double...
A support programme to assist Bristol firms in responding to mental health concerns in the workplace, particularly those arising from Covid-19, has been launched. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is investing in the two-year Thrive at Work West of England programme, which aims to address key mental...
Bristol businesses are being urged to help make cancer care in the city the best it can possibly be as part of a new campaign which launched this week. Bristol Against Cancer has been started by Above & Beyond, the NHS charity for University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS...
More than 70 businesses and charities – including some of the city’s most innovative small firms – have been supported through the coronavirus crisis by a dedicated University of Bristol internship programme. The Covid-19 SME Internship Fund, which totalled more than £100,000, opened at the height of the pandemic...
Bristol businesses looking to get cutting-edge ideas off the drawing board and into reality can apply for funding under a new scheme. The Business Innovation Fund – a three-year programme managed by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) – will provide funding of either £20,000 or £50,000 for...
