More than 350 businesses from across the South West have already expressed an interest in applying for finance from a new £200m regional investment fund just weeks after its launch. The government-backed South West Investment Fund (SWIF), which was unveiled last month by the British Business Bank, aims to...
Bristol’s Wake The Tiger, the world’s first ‘amazement park’, is to double in size after receiving a £500,000 investment from a specialist creative sector growth fund. The walk-through experience, pictured, opened just over a year ago at a cost of around £2.5m in a former paint factory in the...
Confidence levels among businesses in the South West have bounced back from the gloom of earlier this year – making the region one of only two to register an increase in optimism. Overall confidence rose five points last month to 34%, while companies in the region became far more...
Bristol employers are being invited to take part in a new £2m programme that will support hundreds of individuals across the West of England to learn new skills. The scheme, launched by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), is designed to plug the skills gaps in the region...
Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Nicola Littlejohn as its new group ambassador for the South West. Bristol-based Nicola, pictured, will engage with policymakers, regional business leaders, community networks and charitable organisations to deliver the group’s purpose. She will also bring people together to share insights to address the challenges...
Bristol Beacon, the soon-to-reopen live entertainment venue, has formed a partnership with 10 hotels in the city to give concert-goers access to a range of savings and perks. Music lovers will be able to make a night of their visit to Bristol Beacon, pictured, with up to 15% off...
Two more firms from the Bristol area have achieved B Corp status, underlining its status as the UK’s top regional hub for businesses with purpose. Pioneering telecoms reseller First Class Comms gained the accreditation as it marked a decade in business while marketing recruitment specialist Henry Nicholas has also...
The founder of charity One Water has visited Bristol Airport’s World Duty Free shop to raise awareness of the millions of people around the world without access to clean drinking water. The event was part of Duncan Goose’s round-Britain motorbike tour to visit World Duty Free outlets in airports...
National law firm Foot Anstey has strengthened its energy and infrastructure sector team in Bristol by appointing new legal directors Laura Rajanah and Adam Weatherley. Laura Rajanah has dedicated 15 years of her career to the energy sector, focusing on the real estate elements associated with projects. She has...
A former University of Bristol student-turned-entrepreneur has donated £50,000 to help fund its next generation of start-up businesses. The donation from Rupert Baker has kick-started a new ‘founders’ pledge’ project through which entrepreneurs given funding by the university promise to donate some of their future earnings to student start-ups. ...
Bristol’s status as a global centre for innovation in telecoms hardware has been boosted by plans to open a £2.5m research centre in the city. The Future Telecoms Hub, which will launch this autumn on the Bristol & Bath Science Park at Emersons Green, will lead pioneering development work...
Bristol and the West of England will become the UK’s centre for electric vehicle technology when the long-expected green light is finally given for a battery gigafactory in Somerset, according to business leaders and politicians in the region. The government this week agreed a deal with Tata Group, which owns...
Regional alternative finance lender South West Investment Group (SWIG) lent a record £14m to ambitious small and medium-sized businesses across the region in the past year, new figures show. The non-profit group, which supports viable businesses that cannot secure sufficient funding from their bank, provided 559 loans to 478...
