2018 was a banner year for Buckinghamshire Business First, working with our amazing community of businesses to deliver support, events, face-to-face advice and grants. At the same time we have been pleased to partner on fantastic events like the Bucks Skills Show and developments across the county like the Vinson Centre in Buckingham and the 5G Step Out Centre and Business Incubation Centre at Westcott.  

Let’s dive in for a reminder of some of the best bits of 2018…

The Business Hub at Bucks New University

All of our activity in the latter part of this year was achieved against the backdrop of moving offices. Our new home at Buckinghamshire New University isn't just for our team though; it’s for every business in Buckinghamshire.

Right next to our office is the brand new High Wycombe Business Hub, complete with hot-desking space, additional work space and our meeting ‘pods’ which come complete with a computer screen. This space is for members to use to hold meetings or to find a quiet place to work. The pods are bookable through our website. There is also a larger meeting room available within our office, also bookable through the website.

Our Chesham Hub at Chesham Library continues to provide meeting and work space for businesses in the area and we are planning to launch more Hub space across the county in 2019.

Seeing is believing – watch our video showcasing the Entrepreneurial Heart of Britain

Watch the video here >

Don’t just take our word for it – here’s what our members say!

A selection of great testimonials from our members this year:

“I can’t believe how much support Buckinghamshire Business First offers! As a small business, cash flow can be an issue, you have to watch every penny and spend in the right places, but it’s often hard to know where to spend it. The training and mentoring we’ve had helps us identify the areas we need to invest in and work on, and keeps us going in the right direction.” – Tina Duggan of Oven Loving, more than delighted with the support she received this year!

“The grant application process could not have been easier, taking only a few days to arrange. My business adviser has been incredibly supportive, assisting with strategy, operational issues, training needs and of course facilitating this vital piece of financial assistance.” – Finella Devitt, recipient of a Growth Grant for her business Firehorse.

“Without the LEADER funding, we simply wouldn’t be able to complete this project. The grant allows us to complete the entire project within one year and safeguard these future jobs and business growth.” – Ben Hawkins of Haddenham Garden Centre which received a near £180,000 LEADER grant to enable a long-planned expansion.

Buckinghamshire Business Awards

The glitz and glamour of the Buckinghamshire Business Awards was once more on show at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury on May 22nd. The winners on the night were:

• Company of the Year – Ashridge Group
• New Business of the Year – FitLife Health Club
• Growth Business of the Year – Gartec
• International Trade and Export Award – CSL Digital
• Apprentice and Young Person Employer of the Year – Pinewood Studios
• Business Leader of the Year – Dan Hancocks, CoCredo
• Small Business of the Year – Design Difference
• Best Buckinghamshire Meeting, Conference & Events Venue of the Year – Stoke Park
• Excellence in Customer Service Award – Bluebird Care South Bucks, South Wycombe & Slough
• Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility Award – Ecobrand
• Best in Wycombe District Award – Seymour Taylor
• Best in Aylesbury Vale District Award – Ashridge Group
• Best in Chiltern and South Bucks Districts Award – Silverson Machines

Of course, following the 2018 Buckinghamshire Business Awards will be the 2019 variety, and next year’s awards are open for entry! There are new categories for next year, so head on over to the awards page for all the details.

Buckinghamshire’s Queen’s Award winners

On the subject of awards, our members also had a successful year winning all kinds of awards, both local and national. Hopefully you’ve read all about them in various member news round-ups in our newsletter over the year.

One of the most prestigious awards around are the Queen’s Awards, and Buckinghamshire has always been well represented in these. Buckinghamshire winners in 2018 were: Focusrite Audio Engineering (for Innovation); Monodraught (for Innovation); Trio Healthcare (for Innovation); and Warpaint Cosmetics (for International Trade);

And a mention for non-Buckinghamshire-based members of ours who also won a Queen’s Award this year: Frog Bikes (for International Trade); and Proinso UK (for International Trade).

Visit Buckinghamshire Business Advisory Service (VBAS)

This year saw the launch of the Visit Buckinghamshire Business Advisory Service (VBAS), which supports businesses in the retail and tourism sectors within 5km either side of the HS2 construction route in Buckinghamshire.

The Visit Buckinghamshire Business Advisory Service provides one to one support in addition to a series of local events and development workshops on topics aimed at supporting business growth, such as digital, marketing, finance, sales and procurement. The service is provided by a partnership of Visit Buckinghamshire, Buckinghamshire Business First, HS2 and Groundwork 

Visit the VBAS webpage to discover support, information and available contracts related to the HS2 project.

Our projects continue to shine

Visit Buckinghamshire itself continued to deliver great support to tourism businesses in the county. Highlights of 2018 included:

• The new ‘Plan an Event’ area launched on the website
• The monthly newsletter that is full of all the latest info and opportunities related to tourism businesses. If you’re not signed up to the newsletter, sign up at the foot of this page!
• The new self-guided Marlow Midsomer Murders trail

The LEADER Programme

Everyone’s favourite rural business funding programme has been supporting more fantastic projects this year. See some of the projects funded here and remind yourself of the other great projects funded from years gone by.

Low Carbon Workspaces

The team have been busy helping businesses in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and the Black Country save money and reduce their energy usage, and there’s a brand new Low Carbon Workspaces website that has recently gone live that you really need to see!

MD Ngage

We launched the second group of MD Ngage, the personal development and peer group networking programme that has proved a big hit with those involved.

MD Ngage lets business leaders take time out to focus on their business, rather than work in it. It brings together a small and exclusive group of local business leaders who meet 10-12 times a year to learn from inspirational speakers and to tackle key business issues.

Local business developments

Buckinghamshire Business First was involved in many of the major developments happening across the whole county in 2018.

There was the November opening of the Vinson Building, which will be home to the Centre for Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of Buckingham. Part-funded by the Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) and made possible by a generous gift from Lord Vinson, the centre represents a significant investment in the future workforce. The site will also have space for up to eight members of Buckinghamshire Business First to use as a work space.

Elsewhere, Bucks HSC Ventures launched its Health & Social Care Innovation Hub to support health and social care entrepreneurs accelerate their innovations to market. This is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and delivered by partners including Buckinghamshire New University and Buckinghamshire County Council.

The name “Westcott” continues to pop up everywhere. There’s the Westcott Business Incubation Centre that caters for early stage businesses working in rocket propulsion, 5G communications and drones; and the Westcott 5G step-out centre, another BTVLEP collaboration, which will help platform and application developers prototype and commission new services using the latest 5G equipment. And there’s the Westcott Space Cluster; the result of a £30m investment at the site by government and industry.

And a quick look ahead to what 2019 has in store

The Buckinghamshire Business Festival is shaping up to be a cornerstone of our 2019 activity. Complete with workshops, exhibitions, conferences, networking and fringe events, the festival will include the Buckinghamshire Brexit Summit on March 6th and the Buckinghamshire Business Expo on March 8th. There are sponsorship opportunities galore connected to the festival, so check out the homepage to see how you can get involved!

We also look forward to working with our local authority partners to ensure the transition to a single unitary authority in Buckinghamshire goes smoothly for businesses.