More than six tons of laptops, PCs and other tech items have been saved from landfill, thanks to a Wiltshire-based scheme started in lockdown to redistribute unwanted devices to schools and charities. Community interest company Wiltshire Digital Drive asked for donations to help students with their learning and to provide technology to those who...
The South West office of LDC, the UK’s leading mid-market private equity firm, is to increase its support to businesses this year after completing transactions with a combined value of more than £280m in 2021. LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, said it is aiming to invest in at least 100...
Nearly three-quarters of tech firm executives in the South West put purpose before profits while just under 80% prioritise relationships over success, according to a new survey. The region also boasts a far higher number of female tech entrepreneurs than the national average – 36% against 22% for the UK as a whole, the...
With the ongoing impact of the pandemic, climate change and Brexit, 2022 will be another tough year for many Swindon businesses. Phil Smith, managing director of Business West – the organisation behind the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative – looks at the needs and challenges for this year? What do Swindon businesses need from the government as...
Leading lights in Swindon’s higher education, innovation and research communities are being invited to apply for posts representing the sectors on the board of the Western Gateway as it starts to ramp up its work. The gateway is the cross-border economic partnership on either side of the River Severn stretching from Swindon to Swansea. The...
Swindon firms thinking of exporting or taking their international expansion to the next level can sign up to a week of special events hosted by experts. The Department for International Trade (DIT) will stage the first International Trade Week next week, with events – most of them virtual – including business and sector-led activities,...
Two-thirds of small firms in the South West have no active plan to reduce their impact on the environment, according to a new survey, with many arguing they should receive tax breaks, grants or low interest loans to help them go green. The report by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) – issued to...
Business West, the region’s largest business group, said many firms would “remain muted in their enthusiasm” for a Budget that failed to address the scale of the post-Covid challenges they face. The organisation, which runs the Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative, also claimed the West of England had again missed out when it came to...
Michael Blaken, head of accounts at Swindon-based Optimum Professional Services, which provides legal and accounting services to businesses, individuals and families, said there seemed very little in the Budget that hadn’t already been announced or that was noteworthy. The measures were generally aimed at helping people on low incomes, or businesses in specific sectors, Michael,...
Business groups have welcomed a number of measures in yesterday’s Budget but said Chancellor Rishi Sunak could have done more to encourage investment. The CBI, which speaks on behalf of 190,000 businesses of all sizes and sectors, described it overall as business friendly, with its director-general Tony Danker saying the Chancellor had shown a...
