Good news for Pontardawe

Major regeneration plans for Pontardawe have been announced by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.   This is good news for the residents and local businesses.   Pontardawe is already a thriving town with many small shops and businesses.  A Commercial Property Grant will be made available to improve and upgrade shop fronts and improved car parking facilities are all part of the plan.  The local Authority will be consulting local residents and businesses regarding this scheme.

Staff News

Business Connect are proud to announce that two members of staff, Ralph Gillies and Leanne Daniel have recently passed their ACCA accountancy final examinations.  A staff lunch was held on the 5th March to celebrate their achievements at the Llandarcy Sports Pavilion.  

Photo: Business Connect Staff 

Ralph and Leanne are both experienced Business Advisors who specialise in helping businesses to raise funding through the preparation of business plans.  For further information about the availability of funding in Neath Port Talbot please ring Business Connect on 01792 817575 or click to visit the Business Connect website

Successful Business Lunch in Melyn

We would like to thank all the businesses which attended our Business Lunch yesterday in Grandma’s Cafe in the Melyn.  Our thanks too to David Beddoes and Sarah from Communities First for all their hard work.  The event was attended by a team of Advisors from Business Connect who were on hand to chat to companies about a wide range of issues including funding, business plans, computers, retailing, book keeping, contracts, marketing and websites.  The event was such a success that we hope to repeat it in other areas of Neath Port Talbot soon!

     

ps our thanks to Sarah of Grandma’s Cafe for the delicious buffet!

New Flexible Loan Scheme in Neath Port Talbot

Good news for local businesses! Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council has recently launched a new Flexible Loan Scheme for new and established businesses in the County. 

The funding ranges from £1,000 to £10,000 and is open to anyone starting up or already employing up to 250 staff. Typical eligible costs include capital expenditure, marketing (including website design),  R&D and training (if part of a project).  The loan will be charged at 2% below base for start ups and base rate for existing businesses (terms and conditions apply). 

How to Apply
Applicants need to complete a business plan and application form. Assistance with the application is provided free by Business Connect’s team of experienced business plan writers.  For more information about this Loan Scheme please contact Business Connect’s head office in Llandarcy on 01792 817575

Come and meet us!

We will be holding an informal FREE business lunch for local businesses on Tuesday 12th February 2008.  The lunch will be held at Grandma’s Cafe & Coffee Lounge in the Melyn near Neath. The event starts at 12.30pm and all local businesses are welcome.  Please let us know if you will be attending as we need to know numbers for catering. 

It will be an ideal opportunity to meet some of our team and have a friendly chat to find out more about the ways that we can help your business.  Everyone is welcome! To confirm a place please ring Rachel Case on 01639 895173 or email rcase@bcnpt.co.uk. 

We hope to see you there!

Neath Port Talbot Ladies Scoop Prizes

Our congratulations to all the women who were successful in the recently held Swansea Bay Woman of the Year Awards.  These prestigous Awards were held at the Brangwyn Hall.  Local winners included Katherine Prescott who runs a successful website business called Netsima.  Katherine won the technology award.   Sian Ridd, who runs Molly’s Catering at the Sandfields Young Business Centre was runner-up in the Young Entrepreneur category which is sponsored by Neath Port Talbot Council. And Sian Hindle owner of La Creme Patisserie was another runner up.   Well done!

FREE 1 Day Workshops in November

The Assembly are funding a series of workshops as part of Enterprise Week with the aim of encouraging people to consider self employment.  The workshops are friendly, relaxed and informal and there is no obligation whatsoever.   There is no cost and lunch will be provided.  It is a great way to meet likeminded people.  It doesnt matter if you have no idea what type of business you could do or if you are not sure if you want to go ahead.  Just come along and find out more!  Travel assistance is available and the costs of a registered childminder will be provided upon prior request.

 Choose from the following workshops:-

Over 50 years old - 14th November

Under 30 years old - 12th November

Lone Parent & Women - 13th November

Welsh speakers - 15th November

All workshops run from 10am til 2pm and a buffet lunch is provided.

There are no catches, no obligations and this will not affect any benefits that you claim.

Venue: Business Connect, Britannic Way, Llandarcy

For more information and to book a place please ring Sam on 01792 817272 or email us at admin@bcnpt.co.uk

Local company wins Team Building Company of the Year

We would like to congratulate the Corporate Training team at  Call of the Wild who are based in Neath Port Talbot as they have recently won the coveted Team Building Company of the Year at the Visit Wales National Tourism Awards 2007.  Call of the Wild have grown into one of the leading corporate training companies in the UK and their services include leadership training, team building and management training and development.  They also organise activity breaks for hen and stag weekends, school activity programmes and overseas expeditions.

UK Economy - Update by the Bank of England

A breakfast briefing is going to be held by the Bank of England to update local businesses about the latest Inflation Report and the Bank’s assessment of the prospects for UK inflation over the next two years.  This briefing will be given by Andrew Sentance who is a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee.  It will be held on Friday 23rd November 2007 at the Village Hotel in Swansea’s SA1.  This is a rare chance to hear the Bank’s latest view of the economy and a chance to ask questions.  Demand for tickets is expected to be high and places must be booked in advance.  For more details and to book a place ring the Bank of England’s Agency for Wales on 029 20 453600 or email them at wales@bankofengland.co.uk

New Learning Network Breakfast

On Tuesday we attended a breakfast meeting hosted by our friends at the Neath Port Talbot Community Learning Plan Team.  They are holding a series of breakfast meetings across the region and are inviting local businesses to attend.  The overall aim is to identify the issues which local employers may have concerning training & upskilling for their businesses along with the support of the agencies.  This week’s event was held in Crynant and was well attended.  The free delicious cooked breakfasts are very popular! 

We were asked to present a short talk explaining our services, along with Business Eye, Workways and a representative from the National Support Project for Basic Skills in the Workplace (Employer Pledge).  Our thanks to the team for inviting us along! If you have a business in Neath Port Talbot and you are interested in attending one of these breakfasts please email us and we can pass on your details.  Email rcase@bcnpt.co.uk