Member Article

Demand for Enterprise support continues in Berwick

NBSL’s Berwick Business Advice Centre now operating from the Berwick Workspace is continuing to meet the demand for enterprise support in Berwick and the surrounding area.

The project is being part financed by the European Union’s ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13, securing £1.07m ERDF investment. Working in a consortium led by North East Enterprise Agencies Ltd (NEEAL) local Enterprise and Development Agencies in the North East have matched this ERDF investment with £1.07m of their own funds.

NBSL is a local Enterprise Agency operating throughout Northumberland and assisting people to start and develop their own businesses. By offering free advice NBSL Business Advisers will assist in the exploration of ideas, assess individual needs, work with people to remove barriers and help develop a personal action and/or business plan to allow individuals to move forward on their enterprise journeys.

Local demand for the NBSL service was highlighted at a recent ‘Enterprise Awareness Day’ held in Berwick. The event, which was hosted jointly with Berwick Workspace, brought together partner organisations and newly formed and established businesses as well as those considering or exploring the option of self employment for the first time.

The event, which was extremely successful, allowed local businesses and organisations to showcase the support they can offer to both start up and established businesses as well as providing networking opportunities. Amongst the businesses and organisations who presented at the event were Barclays Bank, Learning Choices, Optimis Accountants, Northumberland College, Level Media, Trading Standards, TrilogE and Job Centre Plus.

A team of NBSL Business Advisers was on hand to offer advice and support on pre-start enterprise matters together with a representative from NBSL’s newly launched ‘North East Business Support Fund’ which provides funding and specialist advice to small and medium sized businesses that are already trading to help them develop and grow further.

Also incorporated into the event were two free master classes providing an insight into the use of social media in business and the tools businesses can use whilst marketing on a shoestring.

The event was attended by nearly 40 people and feedback from the delegates was positive and informative. This included requests for more in depth sessions, further topic choices, ideas about organisations that businesses would like to see represented and requests for further networking opportunities. The feedback underlines the desire that local entrepreneurs and businesses have for endeavouring to grow and develop. This is reinforced further by the recently released Northumberland Economic Assessment Statistical update of May 2012. The report states that in 2010 the former Northumberland District of Berwick upon Tweed had the highest birth rate of businesses in Northumberland at 18.9%.

Through NBSL’s extensive free workshop programme people considering setting up in business can learn more about starting up and develop business skills such as book keeping and marketing. Further information about the services of Berwick’s Business Advice Centre can be found by visiting www.nbsl.org.uk or by telephoning the centre on 01289 330805 or alternatively email berwick@nbsl.org.uk .

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Phil Langton .