£500 available for consultancy support
Businesses in Westmorland & Furness (excluding Barrow) can access £500 which can be used towards working with a consultant of your choosing.
Work funded includes website design/refresh, images, marketing, SEO, legal, accountancy, planning, funding application, mentoring support…….. basically anything you would pay a consultant to support you with we can give you £500 towards.
There is some paperwork to complete but we’ve keep it as straightforward as possible and you only need to get one quote for work under £2,000.
Email info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk for further details
Heritage Crafts’ Maker Relief Fund
Many craftspeople are facing significant challenges in sustaining their practice, due to a combination of financial pressures and systemic marginalising factors. Heritage Crafts’ Maker Relief Fund is targeted at people facing severe financial hardship while striving to make their living as a professional craftsperson.
The fund will award 50 grants of £1,000 over a 12 month period to practicing professional craftspeople who are based in the UK, are over the age of 18, are struggling financially, and who consider themselves to be in one or more of the following categories:
- People on low incomes
- Working class people
- Black and ethnically diverse people
- People with disabilities, who identify as neuro-diverse, and/or have chronic physical or mental health issues
- Members of the LGBTQIA+ community
- People with caring responsibilities
Recipients will be identified from all of the eligible entries received by midnight on the 15th day of each month, between November 2024 and October 2025 inclusive.
More information can be found here
The Lakes Hospitality Trade Show 2025
The Lakes Hospitality Trade Show 2025 is awarding marketing grants of up to £2,500 to event organisers as part of its commitment to re-directing proceeds back into the local economy, with grant recipients benefitting from Cumbria Tourisms PR and marketing support.
Applicants must be planning an event in Cumbria between March 2025 and February 2026. You will be asked to clearly demonstrate how your event will achieve significant visitor impact, before the deadline of 9am on Monday 2nd December.
Find out more here
New website area launched
Westmorland & Furness Council have launched a brand new website area to help you #UnlockYourPotential and discover exciting apprenticeship opportunities.
You can find out more about:
- Apprenticeship vacancies during recruitment windows
- Interview preparation tips
- Inspiring success stories
- Upcoming events and workshops
You can view the new website page here
Town Deal pop up event planned
Residents and businesses who want to know more about the Millom Town Deal are being encouraged to attend a community drop-in event.
- Tuesday 26 November, 6pm – 8pm
Millom Baptist Hall, 5 Crown Street
Millom LA18 4AG
Millom Town Deal secured £20.6 million in November 2022 with an additional £8.7 million in match funding to help the town and its communities to thrive in the future.
The Millom Town Deal FAQs have been updated and are available here
Less than 100 days to file Self-Assessment
The countdown has begun as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reminds customers they have less than 100 days to file and pay their Self-Assessment tax return before the deadline on Friday 31st January 2025.
More than 3.5 million have already beaten the clock and submitted their returns. HMRC is reminding others that starting their Self-Assessment early means they are more likely to complete an accurate tax return, avoid any last minute panic plus they will know what they owe sooner and can budget.
Click here for further information and guidance
Wanted: Young Entrepreneurs
The hunt is on for the next generation of young entrepreneurs in West Cumbria – with £1,000 in funding available for each successful applicant.
The Positive Enterprise programme is an initiative which the Foundation runs in conjunction with the Centre for Leadership Performance to help people aged 14 to 25 go into business.
Those chosen to take part will receive a grant of £1,000 to spend on equipment, marketing or other business start-up costs, as well as mentoring from an experienced businessperson, and skills and leadership development opportunities. Closing date to apply: 03/01/25.
You can find out more here
Investor Readiness Course
Capital can help transform your business and accelerate growth, but successfully raising it can be a challenge. UCLan are holding a series of workshops led by a founder who has raised over £30m in funding for two successful North West businesses.
The course is aimed at all businesses in Lancashire and Cumbria, that have raised less than £1m of funding (a preference will be given to Cyber Security focused companies).
Content covered includes:
- Business planning
- Pitch desk
- Sources of funding
- Introduction to equity finance and when to use it
- Understanding investors
- Intellectual property
- Deal process and Due Diligence
- Tax breaks
To find out more and to book your place click here.
Cumbria’s Economic Summit
Please join Enterprising Cumbria’s first major event, a countywide Economic Summit. These are exciting times for Cumbria with unprecedented investment coming to our area and opportunities to take significant strides forward on our economic performance, to the benefit of all communities, businesses and residents. A new Economic Strategy is being prepared and this event will provide a platform for our business community to ensure their needs are front and centre of the strategy and our future activities.
Details of keynote speakers coming soon.
Tuesday 3rd December 2024 9:30am – 4:30pm
Registration and refreshments from 8:30am
The Pencil Factory, Carding Mill Lane, Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5NG
To book your place click here
We look forward to seeing you there – two members of the Chamber’s Senior Management Team will be in attendance.
Greening Businesses scheme now open for applications
Westmorland and Furness Council is pleased to announce applications are open for its new Greening Businesses Scheme.
The newly launched scheme will help local businesses across Westmorland and Furness to understand how to reduce their carbon footprint and cut costs, promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future for the area.
Established following the success of the council’s Greening Eden Businesses Scheme, the initiative once again offers businesses the opportunity to work with the Cumbria Business Environment Network (CBEN) Partnership. Through this partnership, businesses can access a free carbon footprint assessment of their operations and activities from which they can develop strategies or implement measures to reduce carbon emissions.
The original Greening Eden Businesses Scheme, developed by the legacy Eden District Council and continued by Westmorland and Furness Council, saw 99 businesses register interest, with 83 then visited and 63 audited by CBEN, and 18 subsequently awarded a grant of between £1,000 and £50,000 each.
Applications for this new scheme are now open, and businesses of any sector and located in Westmorland and Furness are eligible to apply.
More information including guidance and an application form can be found on the council’s website.
Deadline for applications is Friday 29 November.
Guidance tool for Making Tax Digital
HMRC has published a guidance tool which allows taxpayers to check if they are required to comply with Making Tax Digital income tax self-assessment (MTD ITSA). The tool includes a number of questions and, based on the answers given, indicates if the taxpayer is required to comply. MTD ITSA will apply from April 2026 for those with a gross income of more than £50,000 and from April 2027 for those with a gross income above £30,000.
Read more about the tool here
Government needs to ensure skills needs are met
The House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee has called on the Government to ensure that apprenticeships and training programmes meet the UK economy’s future skills needs. The committee has warned that the current skills system is complex, short-term and lacks strategic direction.
Read more here
HP LIFE
HP has partnered with the BCC to enable Chamber members to succeed. HP LIFE is a free business-skills training programme that can equip organisations with key information to help them thrice. The programme provides the opportunity to learn in-demand skills and core business concepts that will help those looking to enhance their education, start their own business, or secure a better job.
To find out more click here
Pension Credit Campaign – Do you know someone aged 66 or over?
DWP wish to remind people of State Pension age (66+) who are not receiving certain benefits* that they should check their eligibility and apply for Pension Credit, as they could qualify for Winter Fuel Payment and other support like help with housing costs, help with Council Tax and a free TV licence for those aged 75 and over.
Thanks to the Pension Credit backdating rules, it is possible to apply for Pension Credit and have the claim backdated by up to 3 months – so long as there is entitlement during that time. This means that the latest date to apply and still qualify for Winter Fuel Payment is 21st December 2024.
Did you know that additional to Winter Fuel Payment, Pension Credit also provides extra support for heating costs such as The Warm Home Discount Scheme and Cold Weather Payments?
Could you connect with someone to raise awareness of Pension Credit?
It is estimated that up to 880,000 households are missing out on Pension Credit, and it is worth, on average, £3,900 per year, providing additional benefits such as help with Council Tax and Housing Benefit and a free TV licence for those over 75.
Visit www.gov.uk/pension-credit
Simplified reporting rules for small businesses
The Government has announced plans to remove redundant reporting requirements for small companies. The plans include raising the size threshold for small companies, so they are not burdened with unnecessary reporting requirements, and making technical changes to the UK’s audit framework.
Read more about the plans here
Acas Campaign: Mediation at Work
Workplace conflicts cost UK employers £28.5 billion each year, an average of over £1,000 for every employee. Many of these conflicts can be resolved earlier through informal, early dispute resolution such as mediation.
The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) has provided guidance for employers including how organisations can upskill their staff.
You can find out more here
Import/Export Declarations – Free Training Videos
Navigating the complexities of customs declarations can be challenging. At tradePhlo, have created a series of training videos to help you easily manage your import/export declarations between the UK and Europe.
You can access these videos anytime on our website: tradePhlo Training Videos.
Unlocking Trade: Latest insights and analysis from the BCC
Thursday 12th December
The British Chambers of Commerce are inviting Cumbria Chamber of Commerce members to join an exclusive webinar led by BCC’s Head of Research, David Bharier, and Head of Trade Policy, William Bain.
The session will dive into the latest macro trends identified in BCC’s Trade Survey research and attendees will gain in-depth insights into BCC’s latest trade policies and analysis, arming you with valuable information for navigating today’s trade landscape.
There are two online sessions running either from 8.30am to 9.30am or 3.30pm to 4.30pm – those who book will be asked to confirm which Chamber they are a member of, which will be verified prior to finalising registration.
Click here to register for the morning session
Click here to register for the afternoon session
Registration closes at 12noon on Tuesday 10th December.
New offer for Cumbria Chamber members
Cumbria Chamber of Commerce have recently partnered with Crocodile HR to give members 25% off their HR management software.
Crocodile HR software is specifically designed for small businesses and gives employers the ability to manage team members’ holidays and leave in one place on their online portal.
Staff can book time off and check their holiday balance using the app and managers have the ability to see when team members are available to ensure sufficient capacity and minimise project delays. Employee data is securely stored in the cloud and can be accessed easily.
Chamber members can try Crocodile HR for free today with a 14-day free trial. No card details are required to start the trial and you can cancel at anytime. To unlock your Chamber member’s discount email info@cumbriachamber.co.uk to request the required discount code.
To find out more about Crocodile HR click here