NEWS RELEASE XXX, 2016
Herefordshire businesses get up to speed at networking event A special networking event in Herefordshire has been hailed a success after 40 businesses turned up at the inaugural session. Organised by the Marches Growth Hub Herefordshire, the event at Weston under Penyard, near Ross on Wye, was based on speed dating and gave people the chance to explain what their business offers and identify business opportunities during one-to-one meetings, lasting just two minutes. Teams from the hub and Hereford’s Business Solutions Centre were also on hand to outline the finance, grants, advice, events, support and networks that are available to businesses. The Marches Growth Hub offers a central point of access for Herefordshire businesses looking for support through its business-friendly website, www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk, and its hub base at Skylon Court, on the Hereford Enterprise Zone. Businesses can also call the support helpline on 0345 6000 727. John Stanford, who runs wedding chauffeur firm Deputy Driver, said: “The event was great. I got the opportunity to speak with 40 new contacts and I’ve made two new customers. I can attend two or three other events and not achieve that.” Councillor David Harlow, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Support for Economic Development, said: “It was pleasing to see so many businesses at the Ross-on-Wye event. They all embraced the concept and networked enthusiastically.” The January 26 event was the first in a series that will be held across Herefordshire each month by the Marches Growth Hub. The next will be at Grange Court, Leominster, on February 23. For more details or to book a place, go to https://leominsterspeednetworking.eventbrite.co.uk/. For more information on business support available, visit www.marchesgrowthhub.co.uk or contact 0345 6000 727. The website features a searchable database of nearly 100 products and schemes to help businesses grow, from information on funding and finance to export and commercial premises. ENDS For further information contact Amy Bould or Jo Cunningham at Be Bold Media on 01952 Issued by: Be Bold Public Relations www.beboldpr.com Tel: 01952 898121 | Fax: 01952 897851 | E: hello@beboldpr.com
898121, or email amy@beboldpr.com or jo@beboldpr.com CAPTIONS: Businesses at the inaugural speed networking event hosted by the Marches Growth Hub. Further events will be held across Herefordshire each month. About the Marches Growth Hub The Marches Growth Hub is a £250,000 project to simplify and streamline business support services available to businesses. The funding was secured by The Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and the Marches Growth Hub is one of 30 developed across England. It includes a business support website – marchesgrowthhub.co.uk - and a dedicated phone line on 0345 6000 727 that businesses can use to access funding, support and advice. There is also a physical hub based within the new University of Wolverhampton Business Solutions Centre on the Hereford Enterprise Zone at Rotherwas, where people can access face-to-face advice and support. The Hereford hub is one of three in the Marches region. About the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership The Local Enterprise Partnership area contributes £10bn to the national economy, covers an area of 2,300 sq miles, has a population of 630,000 and is home to more than 28,000 businesses.
Bordered by the West Midlands Conurbation to the east and Wales to the west, its key centres of population and employment are the historic county towns of Hereford and Shrewsbury and the new town of Telford. A network of 25 smaller market towns and a large rural area make up the rest of the settlement mix.
The LEP area is home to some iconic places of interest. The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, the Shropshire Hills and the Wye Valley Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Offa’s Dyke, the rivers Severn and Wye, and places of national renown including Ludlow and Ross-on-Wye make it a highly popular place to both visit and relocate to.
The area boasts some high profile businesses including Mϋller Dairy UK, Doncasters Aerospace, Denso, Capgemini, Ricoh, Cargill, Heineken, Grocontinental, McConnels, Kerry Ingredients, Special Metals, Kingspan and Makita and is a hot spot for home working, the environmental technologies, care sector, creative industries, manufacturing and tourism.
Assets like Harper Adams University and its Regional Food Academy, the University of Wolverhampton campus and e-innovation centre at Priorslee, and the Polymer Research Centre in Telford, the Food Enterprise Centre and Environmental Technology Centre at Shrewsbury and the Cathedral city of Hereford are all drivers of the local economy.
Issued by: Be Bold Public Relations www.beboldpr.com Tel: 01952 898121 | Fax: 01952 897851 | E: hello@beboldpr.com
Issued by: Be Bold Public Relations www.beboldpr.com Tel: 01952 898121 | Fax: 01952 897851 | E: hello@beboldpr.com