The Growth Hub underwent a planned transformation during the year from an online portal to a fully operational information , advice and guidance service for our business community . Alongside this service , the Growing Places Infrastructure Fund Programme has continued to support businesses with realising their expansion plans whilst the Swindon and Wiltshire Inward Investment programme has focussed on attracting new overseas investment to our area .

Business Cyber Centre

Work was also concluded on the business plan for the Business Cyber Centre , which was awarded £ 3.7m Getting Building Fund investment enabling it to open its doors in Chippenham in early 2022 . The Business

Cyber Centre will be the first business-led cyber centre in the UK and as such , it will be unique in its offering within the local and regional area , and seeks to be recognised as a national asset and leading SME partner , enabling a greater level of resilience to businesses and UK Plc .

Swindon and Wiltshire Growth Hub

The business support services delivered by the Growth Hub ramped up at speed over the first half of the year in response to the pandemic . The original plans for the roll-out of our ERDF SME Competitiveness Programme to support start-up and scaleup companies were soon bolstered as the service took on the additional role of supporting businesses which were ineligible for the Government ’ s COVID-19 support grant schemes . The Growth Hub worked hand-in-hand with both of our Unitary Authorities to refer and cross-refer enquiries endeavouring to ensure that every business that needed help had access to information , advice and guidance .

A programme of Peer Networks was established drawing in additional business support funding from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy ( BEIS ). Sector based groups of eight to 11 businesses , referred to as ‘ cohorts ’ were brought together to discuss common business issues as well as to access oneto-one support . Seven networks were established locally for companies looking to grow and develop their business and increase their leadership skills .

In August , the Growth Hub took on the administration of a European funded Economic Recovery Grant Scheme to support businesses . Within the scheme there was a ringfenced allocation for the businesses operating in the visitor economy which had been disproportionally affected by the lockdowns and travel restrictions . This was the first time that the Growth Hub had managed a grant scheme ; by the end of March , £ 343,000 of grant funding had been committed to 142 businesses .

The This Way Up webinar programme has been hugely popular . It was launched in September 2020 covering a range of topics related to leadership , sales , finance , marketing , digital commerce and mental health in the workplace . The series reached over 2,000 live attendees and the recorded