Business Support
Useful Contacts for Business Support
Click on the organisation title to be taken through to their website.
Marches Growth Hub
Your gateway to business support
Location and parking for Marches Growth Hub Herefordshire: MAP
Fastershire – Countywide Faster Broadband
Fastershire is a project to bring fibre broadband to around 90% of homes and businesses in Herefordshire and Gloucestershire by the end of 2016. That’s roughly 148,000 premises.
Fastershire is a non-profit making collaboration between Herefordshire Council, Gloucestershire County Council and BT that will boost the local economy by approximately £419M over 10 years. The two counties’ industrial zones and business parks are a key priority as fibre broadband will help local businesses to become more competitive. The project will also be of significant benefit to those premises which currently receive downstream speeds of less than 2Mbps. Ofcom believe that around 20% cent of premises in the two counties currently receive less than 2Mbps but that percentage will plummet to virtually zero as the project will ensure they benefit from faster speeds.
We’ll also work with local communities as well as help small businesses to adopt technologies and grow.
The project is being funded by BDUK, Herefordshire Council, Gloucestershire County Council and BT.
Find out more about Fastershire, broadband rollout and the business support available here:http://www.fastershire.com/questions-and-answers?tabId=9394
Federation of Small Business
The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK’s largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms.
Herefordshire Brand
This is a joint venture between Visit Herefordshire, the Herefordshire Business Board and the local authority. These organisations and key stakeholders work together to manage the brand and its representation. Ultimately the brand belongs to the County of Herefordshire, it belongs to you; the people who live and work in Herefordshire.
Anyone wishing to raise awareness and clarity of Herefordshire’s position and their business within Herefordshire should use this toolkit and become a partner in order to adopt and use the brand.
Business, Community, Tourism, Producers, Makers and Creaters are more are all very important to Herefordshire and different partnerships are available depending upon how much you want to be involved with the brand.
Hereford College of Art Short Courses for Business
HCA Business is the Business Services section of the College and exists to meet the training needs of local businesses within Herefordshire and its surrounding borders. Many use the Short Course programme as part of their continued professional development accessing Short Courses such as Digital Photography, Photoshop, InDesign and Web Design to enhance existing skills and to enable their own business growth and development.
Details online here: http://www.hca.ac.uk/Courses/Short-Courses
Herefordshire Rural Hub
Herefordshire Rural Hub is a business support organisation which is led by farm and rural businesses across Herefordshire. Established in September 2004 the Hub has grown from strength to strength and now has a membership of over 1,000 rural businesses. Membership is free.
The Herefordshire Rural Hub is part of a group of Rural Hubs covering the West Midlands area and as such has representation with all the main agencies and funding bodies. Through the Hub you can communicate your views ‘from the wellie boot to the suit’.
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is a member-led, not for profit organisation, working to support the local business community and specifically their 1300-strong network of member businesses. Whilst the nature and scale of what we do has changed over time, today theystill work to strengthen the position of their members and ensure that the interests of local businesses are heard.
Social Enterprise Business Advice
Business advice and support for social enterprise businesses by SFEDI accredited adviser. Providing advice for pre start-up, emerging or existing businesses in Herefordshire and working with key partners locally and nationally to develop the Social Enterprise sector in Herefordshire, can signpost to additional specialist sources of support.
Truffle Herefordshire
The Truffle Card is designed to offer customers exclusive treats and offers across a wide and varied range of independent Herefordshire businesses. Truffle knows that customers can shop anywhere, but what they strive for is that people do business with local independents so Truffle promotes Herefordshire independent businesses and helps them to flourish.
