• Swindon & Wiltshire Support
• Wednesday September 18 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Free support for business start-ups to be rolled out across Wiltshire

A programme of free support for small businesses in Wiltshire will be rolled out across the county from October.

The Business Fit For Future launched in August and has already helped a variety of early-stage business owners, including a rural marketing agency, a cosmetics business, a rural café, and a social enterprise supporting older men in building peer networks.

Online sessions are being delivered by lead programme partners the University of Bath alongside techSPARK Swindon and Wiltshire.

The workshops focus on foundational business principles, offering aspiring and established business owners alike the tools to build and refine their business plans.

In-person programmes will kick off in Chippenham and Salisbury in October and will run for eight weeks, before moving to Devizes and then Holt.

The Future Smiths will be delivering these, and topics covered will include business fundamentals from creating a solid business plan, financial confidence to understanding market dynamics.

Andrea Kelly, from the University of Bath Innovation Centre, said: “It’s exciting to see these workshops get underway.

“At the University of Bath, we want to support businesses in the region through access to expertise, innovation, and funding, and our partnership with techSPARK and The Future Smiths does just that.

“We would encourage all aspiring business owners or those considering self-employment to explore the options available to them and make the most of the expertise on offer that will help see their dream become a reality.”

All workshops are fully funded by Wiltshire Council and the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is providing £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.

To register interest in the upcoming workshops, visit https://www.thefuturesmiths.co.uk/startup