Latest updates and stories from Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce and its Members

Marsh Farm Futures Staff and Board Members attended the SME National Business Awards at Wembley last Friday, 2nd December 2022 and were very pleased to witness Mr Mohammed Rafi, CEO of Marsh Farm Futures being awarded GOLD for the category of Lockdown Leader, following on from his success, in September, at the Luton & Beds Regional Awards, when MFF won Silver for being the Best SME Business with under 50 employees.

Crouchers are proud to announce that they have recently launched a new office branch in Luton. “We have been operating in the Milton Keynes area for over nine years and we have decided it is time to branch out into Bedfordshire as well. We already have an office in Wellingborough, and we think it's time to expand our reach even further.

As you may be aware, the Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper set out an ambitious employer-led approach aimed at making Further Education (FE) provision more responsive to local skills needs and ultimately local economic needs.

The WTO’s World Trade Report, released at the recent COP27 summit, contains much to make us all proud of being businesspeople, because it sees trade as the potential cornerstone of sustainability and climate action – not the hindrance to it that it is often viewed as.

Chancellor Hunt’s turn at the despatch box on 17 November was, in many ways, noteworthy for the taxes he didn’t change, rather than those he did.

But it’s important for businesses to understand that the absence of changes to headline tax rates hides changes to thresholds and allowances below the surface – and these will affect how much of your business’s earnings you keep.

Wyboston Lakes Resort has won the Sustainability Award in the highly prestigious Meetings Industry Association’s miaList 2022.

The miaList, now in its eleventh year, recognises inspiring and exceptional individuals and performance in the business meetings and events industry.

Firms of all sizes are currently confronted by a host of challenges, from soaring energy bills, labour shortages, spiralling inflation, and climbing interest rates. 

As a business owner, you need to ensure that your doors stay open and that your business can thrive no matter what the season brings.

Cranfield School of Management has been recognised for the high quality and standard of its apprenticeship provision by City and Guilds / Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) end-point assessment (EPA) award.

Bedford Creative Arts (BCA) is delighted to be invited to return to Arts Council England's National Portfolio for a further three years.

The Neville Trust Group, a fifth-generation family-run business, that consists of Neville Funerals, Neville Special Projects, Neville Trust and Neville Joinery, has embedded itself deeply within its regional communities for over 140 years, offering support well beyond its remit as a local enterprise. With nine funeral branches across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Buckinghamshire, and a range of construction sites across that area and wider, the business is committed to serving families during their time of need.

The Cloud Geeks Team are experts at delivering enterprise grade cloud solutions to the SME – and at the CNA awards this year, they received well-earned recognition for its solution provided to Carnevale Group.

It’s no secret that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have had more than their share of tribulations recently – Brexit, Covid, and now soaring interest rates and energy costs.

But whilst you may be feeling shell-shocked, now is not the time for desperation - it’s the time for preparation.

If you ready your business for the tricky times ahead, you might even turn adversity into opportunity.

With energy bills in the news, businesses of all sizes are keeping a close eye on how much they’re using day to day.

We know that small business owners are working flat out to keep their business running and might not think they have the time - or brain space - to start thinking about this. However, there are some simple hacks out there which can help businesses limit their energy usage.

The Government’s emergency budget – described by them as “The Growth Plan” – is the most radical in decades, and its low-tax agenda and high borrowing has raised alarm in some quarters.

But for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular, there are plenty of changes that stand to deliver new benefits, both to the business directly, and through more attractive conditions for employees.

Here’s what’s changed – and what it means to many of Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce’s member businesses across the county.

As part of the airline industry’s post-pandemic recovery, Resource Group, Europe’s leading aviation skills business, is opening a new regional hub for Apprentice training at London Luton airport. 

The new Apprentice training facility, which is being launched in collaboration with British School of Aviation, will make a vital contribution in providing the aviation maintenance skills needed to sustain the industry in the years ahead.

Commenting on the Chancellor’s Fiscal Statement, Shevaun Havilland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said:
“Businesses will welcome many of the measures announced today that should boost economic growth, relieve cost pressures and encourage investment.

For many UK small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the road is rough at the moment. We’ve spoken to our own expert members, and found some of the best resources on the web, to bring you these five tips for staying successful in a new and unpredictable world.

Newest product is designed with the commercial pharmaceutical market in mind

Peli BioThermal, the life science industry’s partner from discovery to distribution, announces its newest reusable, flexible temperature controlled shipping solution. Crēdo™ Go is designed to adapt to unique customer programs, as well as to help pharmaceutical companies reach environmental, social and governance goals, cost reduction targets and operational performance indicators.

**Please note that there is no budget defined to each competition round. Projects deemed fundable will be funded and, if the budget is used up in a given competition round, there will be no further competitions. Therefore, if you are considering applying for this funding, it is advisable to apply as soon as possible

Beds Chamber member, THSP, celebrated their 30th Anniversary on 2nd September.

But this was no ordinary milestone. Not only has it been 30 years since John Thoday and Adrienne Massey founded The Health and Safety People, but it is also one year on from the business becoming Employee Owned.

With the UK employment skills shortage extending across over 30 domains, according to the Government’s own figures, colleges and other institutions have a critical role to play in identifying where skills fall short and what needs to be done about it.

Reacting to the announcement of the new Prime Minister, Sarah Howard, Chair of the BCC, said: “We would like to congratulate Liz Truss on running a successful campaign to become the UK’s new Prime Minister.

“She must now take immediate steps to support the economy. The last few months have been difficult for everyone, time is running out and urgent action is needed to deal with the costs’ crisis.

This summer we’ve faced scorching temperatures across the UK and Europe.
The recent heatwave has had a real impact on businesses who have seen energy usage increase with the need for additional air conditioning and cooling equipment to keep staff, customers, and products fresh.

Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce and Milton Keynes Chamber of Commerce are today confirmed as the Designated Local Employer Representative Body for the development of a Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) for our region.

The government are giving companies up to £35,000 grant funding with a minimum 10% contribution (£3,500) to work with a partner, such as Cranfield University, to evaluate an innovative business idea. This is with a view to stimulating the demand for further innovation, collaboration and accelerating delivery by partnering with a knowledge bases such as Cranfield University.

Compare Your Footprint CEO and founder Will Richardson is on a mission to help smaller businesses measure their carbon emissions, in a partnership that sees ground-breaking carbon measurement software made available to Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce members at no cost.

Wyboston Lakes Resorts has delivered a record six months of Meetings and Events business for the first half of 2022, despite restrictions around events in January and February following the Omicron outbreak.

Business on the books at the six-month point is up by 47% on 2019 with a solid base already in place for 2023.

Whatever the size of your business, it is likely that at some stage you will face multiple challenges that can feel impossible to overcome. In fact, you will typically experience these at every stage of the business’s growth.

In this piece, we take a look at what we, as a member of the British Chambers of Commerce, offer to make it easier for business owners in our region to get advice and support when they need it most.

• Percentage of UK businesses reporting increased export sales remains flat for the 5th quarter in a row at 29%
• A quarter (25%) of exporters saw decreased sales, while 46% report no change
• Concerns over manufacturing recovery as exporters report unprecedented cost pressures and inflation worries

We’re all now familiar with the cost of living crisis - how households are struggling to keep up with bills and afford the rapidly rising cost of food, fuel and other essentials.

But there’s another crisis, similar to the struggle households are going through, which is dramatically hitting businesses, and that’s the ‘cost of doing business’ crisis. Firms across the country are being confronted by rapidly rising costs of vital raw materials, fuel, wages and, of course, energy.