Broxtowe businesses urged to tap into Accelerator support before the project ends

The Accelerator project is delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of Broxtowe Borough Council and is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). At its heart is business advice from locally based advisers and specialists, digital technology experts and innovation & growth specialists. It also includes a diverse schedule of action planning workshops and webinars including: HR Essentials (opens in a new window), taking place on 26^th February at Strelley Hall. 

Leader of Broxtowe Borough Council and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Asset Management, Councillor Milan Radulovic MBE, said, “The Accelerator project has been a vital source of support in Broxtowe and businesses have been able to grow and upskill in areas relevant to their precise needs. There is now a limited window left to take advantage of fully-funded support whether that be a free energy audit, attending a local workshop or booking time with a Business Adviser to tackle concerns such as business planning, budgeting, cash flow, market research and legal and regulatory compliance.”

Broxtowe businesses that have already benefitted from Accelerator support include:

• Bees Knees Deli & Cookery School, Eastwood

Bees Knees Deli & Cookery School is a family business, run by mother and daughter Elaine and Rachael Harrison.

They produce homemade pastries, cakes and patisserie, alongside breakfasts and lunches and run a cookery school, offering a wide range of classes for adults and children in the local area.

The business needed to promote its cookery lessons and services more effectively, especially to passing trade and residents. With the support of East Midland Chamber Business Adviser Cat Walls, it successfully applied for a Broxtowe High Street Business Grant where the total funding requested was £3,570 and the business contribution was £900. The funding will be used to pay for training to enable the team to deliver a more diverse range of classes and for electronic display boards and new marketing leaflets.

Bees Knees Director Elaine Harrison said: “We are very grateful for the assistance provided by the Accelerator Project. The funding was great for us as it helped us become more visible and, without it, we would not have been able to increase footfall and awareness on this scale.”

• Canopy 2050 CIC, Beeston

Canopy 2050 CIC is a community-based initiative with a mission to increase the urban tree canopy. It collaborates with residents to collect, distribute and cultivate native tree seeds and plant the resulting saplings in tree-depleted areas and sites on council or private land. It now has 550 volunteers on its books who are growing trees in their gardens and allotments.

As a startup business, is has been supported by NBV Enterprise Solutions, a partner in the Accelerator project. Helene Laanest, Canopy 2050’s Managing Director, sought guidance from Business Adviser, Raj Raithatha to develop a better understanding of the administration and processes involved as a CIC, to create a robust marketing strategy and plan, explore business planning techniques and the tools, and explore text-to-video apps to develop and plan online marketing content.

The organisation was also successful in securing 20 hours of specialist web consultancy support through an Accelerator Growth Voucher. The support was delivered by Rob Gregory of Magnifica Technologies Ltd.

Helene also attended some of the fully funded training sessions on offer including on WordPress, employment contracts, AI and accounting.

Helene said: “Canopy 2050's success story demonstrates the power of business advice for non-profit organisations. Raj's guidance empowered Canopy 2050 to overcome challenges, start the business, and achieve our environmental goals. The Growth Voucher paid for the support I got from Rob Gregory whose help has allowed me to develop a website that has helped my business recruit new volunteers, communicate with volunteers and enable donors to contribute online.”

• Glamour Hair and Beauty, Beeston

A business diagnostic with East Midlands Chamber identified that the long-standing hair and beauty salon needed improvements to reduce its carbon footprint, reduce costs and improve energy efficiency.

The first step on this journey was for owner Tracy Wealthall to attend the Broxtowe Energy Grant Reduction Workshop and she later applied for and was successfully awarded an energy grant of just under £4,000 from Broxtowe Borough Council.

Tracy said: “The installation of a new Mitsubishi air conditioning cooler/heater system gives me confidence that we are using a product from a world-leading manufacturer, which ensures superior energy efficiency and will result in the reduction of negative environmental impact.

“The unit has a series of air filters which remove allergens, bacteria and dust, improving the air quality for customers and staff. The double-glazed front window has been a huge benefit to improving heat retention and reducing draughts when compared with the existing single-glazed window we had. Also, our new composite back door has improved heat retention and removes the penetration of damp issues caused by the previous door.

“The above not only improved the condition of the business for both staff and customers but reduced the carbon footprint as well.  This will also reduce utility bills which will enable the business to grow and re-invest further in the future. My monthly bill from Eon has gone down by £150 since I received the grant!”.

Tracy is continuing to work with Chamber business adviser Sonny Lakhani on further growth plans including seasonal promotion to boost footfall.

Businesses interested in learning more about Broxtowe Accelerator are invited to visit East Midlands Chamber’s website at: https://www.emc-dnl.co.uk/accelerator/ (opens in a new window) and select Broxtowe from the drop-down list to complete an Expression of Interest form.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is UK Government funded and Broxtowe Borough Council has been allocated a total of £2,584,477 over a three-year period 2022-25. Activity funded in 2024/5 includes local business, skills and community projects, including a set of community grant-funded projects.