Budding entrepreneurs, ambitious start-ups, plus business leaders and organisations ready to grow in Oxfordshire’s Cherwell district are set to benefit from two, new business support programmes.
Set to launch this autumn, OxLEP Business will introduce two new programmes for businesses, namely the Cherwell Business Spark and the Cherwell Business Accelerator.
OxLEP Business will be delivering the programmes on behalf of Cherwell District Council, with the project funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
They will support organisations to develop, commercialise ideas and bring them to market, as well as supporting already established businesses to grow further.
The Cherwell Business Spark strand will help more people to start their own successful business, or create a profitable ‘extra income stream’, with support covering key areas including business fundamentals, understanding customers, marketing and sales, financial planning and developing a first-year action plan.
The Cherwell Business Accelerator will back SMEs in the area with big potential to grow and create further jobs.
The support for the Accelerator programme will be built around conducting a strategic business review to create a support delivery plan and a three-year business growth action plan, as well as providing a leadership development programme for senior managers in the business, plus one-to-one support on key areas such as productivity and innovation.
The arrival of the Cherwell-focused programmes follows-on from the recent introduction of a similar set of programmes which has already engaged with many dozens of individuals elsewhere in the county.
Helen Brind – Growth Hub Manager for OxLEP – said: “This new support programme provides Cherwell-based entrepreneurs and small business leaders with a growth mindset with fantastic guidance, advice, practical skills and strategies, as well as openings into potential finance opportunities and indeed, the window to a new network of likeminded individuals, local to their organisation.”
Interest is invited now as the programmes will run through until the end of March 2025 and support will only be available to residents and businesses in the Cherwell district.
OxLEP are however keen to point out that businesses right across the county can continue to benefit from multiple areas of support, provided by them.
OxLEP previously announced that between October 2016 and March last year, it had worked with over 6,200 businesses from across Oxfordshire, providing around 18,000 hours of support and advice, worth over £28.75 million.
Helen Brind added: “Given our track record of supporting thousands of Oxfordshire businesses over the past decade, we are delighted to have secured the opportunity to deliver this support on behalf of Cherwell District Council and hope that we can bring some positive influence and results to this part of the county’s business community.
“I would like to stress though that our commitment to the whole of Oxfordshire very much remains the case.
“We continue to offer a vast array of support to our business community at whatever stage they are at and our business support tool – which takes a short time to complete, resulting in a bespoke business action plan – remains the best way for organisations to make initial contact with us and we call on interested businesses to do this.”
Councillor Lesley McLean – Deputy Leader of Cherwell District Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources – said: “New and growing businesses play a pivotal role in north Oxfordshire’s vibrant and resilient economy. We recognise their innovation, talent and new ideas and with these new programmes we are taking a leadership role in helping them get off the ground and expand.
“The Cherwell Business Spark and Cherwell Business Accelerator programmes are a signal that north Oxfordshire is a great place to do business and an example of how our partnership with OxLEP will get a great return on the investment of UKSPF money.
“If your business is ready to grow, we warmly invite you to find out more and take advantage of these game-changing opportunities.”
To find out more on both the Cherwell Business Spark and Cherwell Business Accelerator programmes, head to the OxLEP Business website.
