Cumbria Tourism’s 50th Anniversary Fund
Grants for people aged 16 and over to help raise educational attainment and career aspirations in the Cumbrian tourism and hospitality sectors by enabling access to study, vocational training and employment.
Examples of activities supported:
• specialist equipment e.g. chef knives or uniform
• course costs
• study materials e.g. textbooks or laptops
• travel costs
• hardship costs where these enable completion of studies/course e.g. rent deposit
Grants are up to £500. You can find out more here
Shaping a Tech and Innovation-Enabled Workforce
Are you a business owner or organisational leader passionate about enhancing the digital and tech skills of the workforce in Cumbria? The University of Cumbria are holding an event where they aim to understand the skills and knowledge you require now and in the future. This is your chance to shape the future workforce and ensure your needs are met.
The event takes place on Wednesday 5th March at The Bridge, Portland Walk, Barrow.
You can find out more and register here
Cumbria Tourism Awards now open
The 2025 Cumbria Tourism Awards competition is now open and you have until 5 pm on Friday 28th February to enter.
Enter the 2025 Awards for the chance to be part of this year of celebrations and join the Awards ceremony and celebration in July. Entries are invited from tourism businesses, local makers and producers and individual nominees for the Unsung Hero Award.
Get ready to share your successes, innovations and approach to excellence in your product, customer service, welcome, marketing and sustainable practices.
The Cumbria Tourism Awards celebrate and recognise exceptional quality across a wide range of tourism businesses which drive a visitor economy worth £4.1 billion and support 43,562 full time jobs.
You can find out more about this year’s categories and enter here
ACT Engagement Event - North West
Counter Terrorism Policing North West are proud to be hosting and invite you to our regional Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Engagement Event.
ACT Engagement events are informative events for owners, senior leaders and decision makers from micro, small and medium enterprise businesses, hosted by Counter Terrorism (CT) regions, aimed at raising awareness. Events include advice, guidance and updates on the work that police and partners are doing to mitigate the terrorist threat.
The event will be delivered by subject matter experts including the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP).
Throughout this event, you will gain a valuable insight into topics including:
The event is on the 30th April between 9am and 1pm in Manchester and is free to attend. Anyone interested can email ctsa@cumbria.police.uk to request a sign up link for registration.
Could you be Lord Sugar’s next big investment?
Casting is now taking place for the 20 series of the BBC's The Apprentice – click here to read more
StartUp Idea of the Year
The StartUp Idea of the Year competition offers aspiring entrepreneurs the chance to win up to £10,000 in funding
Have a great business idea, game-changing product or service, or a growth strategy you want to implement and need the cash to make it happen?
Enterprise Nation is collaborating with Monzo on the Startup Idea of the Year competition, giving you the chance to win up to £10,000 to help bring your idea to life.
Apply now - Applications close on the 28 February 2025.
Business Careers Event
Building on the success and encouraging feedback from last year's Business Careers Event, the University of Cumbria are delighted to be hosting it again this year.
The event will take place at the Lancaster Campus on Wednesday 26th February 2025 for business students, with the invitation extended to local schools and colleges.
The aim of this event is to connect talented business students with local employers to offer valuable insights, networking opportunities, and potential career prospects.
This event is an excellent platform for creating new and fostering existing meaningful connections between your business and future professionals.
You can read more here
Clampdown on fake Google reviews
Google has agreed to make significant changes to help tackle fake reviews of UK businesses. According to the CMA, Google will attach warnings to companies found to have artificially boosted their star rating. Businesses engaging in fake review activity will also have their review function deactivated so they are unable to receive any new reviews.
Read more about the changes here
£60 million boost for creative industries
Hundreds of UK creative businesses and projects will receive government funding to help them grow. The £60 million package of support includes £40 million of start-up investment for video game studios, British music and film exports and creative businesses outside of London. The British Business Bank will also increase its support for the sector.
Read more about the funding here
Product safety project for online sellers
The UK Office for Product Safety and Standards is inviting UK businesses and online sellers to participate in a voluntary education and research project. The project is being run by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute and is aiming to establish if the provision of free business support and training can improve knowledge and understanding of product safety. The project is applicable to all businesses that sell products online in the UK.
Read more about the project here
Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards
Do you have an international trade success story to share? The Made in the UK, Sold to the World Awards 2025 are open until Sunday 9th March.
Organised by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and with 12 sector focused categories, these awards recognise and celebrate the success of UK SMEs trading internationally.
You can read more and enter here
Workplace Health Checks in Cumbria Boost Wellbeing and Productivity
Employers in Cumbria are reporting improved employee wellbeing and heightened morale following the introduction of workplace health checks. This initiative, designed to support proactive health management, has seen a surge in participation across the county.
Cumbria Health working in partnership with Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council and commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care have been delivering workplace health checks since the middle of October and have already undertaken 2,000 health checks with a target of 9,000 to be achieved by the end of March 2025.
Businesses across Cumbria are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity, we are especially keen to engage with those within the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, mining and maintenance sectors.
For more information or to schedule workplace health checks, visit Cumbria Health | Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Services in Cumbria or contact ch.healthchecks@cumbriahealth.nhs.uk
Business not following battery safety measures
Research by Aviva has revealed that 54% of businesses have experienced an incident, such as smoking, overheating or explosions, linked to lithium-ion batteries. The research also revealed that many businesses are not following safety measures, such as replacing batteries on a regular basis and avoiding overcharging, which is putting them at risk.
Read more about the research here
The North West Family Business Awards 2025 now open for entries
The Family Business Community is thrilled to announce the return of the North West Family Business Awards 2025, hosted by The Family Business Community this prestigious event will be held on Friday 9th May, at the iconic Titanic Hotel in Liverpool.
Entries and nominations are now open, inviting you to showcase your accomplishments and nominate other deserving family businesses with entries closing on Monday 3rd March.
Enter here
Number of Companies In Cumbria Hits Record High
New figures just published reveal that in 2024 the number of companies in Cumbria was the highest ever recorded – in a year that presented a range of challenges for business.
During the last 12 months, registered companies grew to an all-time high of 24,059 – up from 23,719 at the end of 2023 – and 2,453 new businesses were established in the county.
The statistics are taken from the Inform Direct Review of Company Formations, using data from Companies House and the Office for National Statistics.
Carlisle formed the most new businesses (651), followed by South Lakeland (529) and Allerdale (440).
John Korchak, Managing Director at Inform Direct, said: “It is really good news that Cumbria can celebrate a record number of companies.
“The year undoubtedly presented a range of challenges for business with the uncertainty of the General Election, the introduction of new regulations and concerns over Labour’s first Budget in October which included the increase in employer National Insurance. World events also played a part in economic volatility with the US Election and instability in the Middle East high up on the list.
“Despite all these factors, businesspeople in Cumbria demonstrated great resilience and inspired leadership, evidenced in this successful result.”
The UK as a whole mirrored this trend with a record total of 5,637,210 companies, up from 5,476,772 at the end of 2023. There were 848,192 formations during the year and 690,501 dissolutions.
To see a more detailed picture of company formations in Cumbria – including a full local breakdown – visit:
https://www.informdirect.co.uk/company-formations-2024/cumbria/
To see the report in full, visit:
https://www.informdirect.co.uk/company-formations-2024/
Funding Opportunity - Community Tree and Hedgerow Planting Fund
As part of their One Tree per Resident Project Westmorland and Furness Council are launching a grant scheme aimed at increasing community involvement in tree and hedgerow planting across Westmorland and Furness. Which will help to enhance green spaces, tackle the climate crisis and support biodiversity. The Community Tree and Hedgerow Planting Grant scheme is aimed at schools, parish and town councils, charities, community groups, and private landowners/farmers working in partnership with a community group.
Grants start from £2000 with a minimum requirement of 50 trees (this can be a combination such as 20 trees and 30m of hedge). They are aware that £2000 can be a lot for some smaller groups so they are allowing applications in partnership to meet these minimum thresholds. Trees can be planted up until March 2026, and costs for ground preparation, planting and protection will be included. Unfortunately, no maintenance costs will be covered by this grant due to it being a one-off fund. Applications close on the 10th of March 2025.
The grant application form, guidance document and subsidy control document are available on the One Tree per Resident webpage. One Tree per Resident Project | Westmorland and Furness Council.
Applications will be scored using the following criteria:
