January has been EXPLOSIVE!

It’s certainly been a busy month at NNBN HQ and certainly a productive one!

We kicked off the opening working day of 2023 with the announcement that we are being joined by Kevin Hollinrake MP, Minister for Small Businesses, at a Business Brunch taking place at Kettering Park Hotel & Spa on 10th March and I’m delighted to say that we have 90 people attending from local businesses who are looking forward to attending. A big thank you to Wilson Browne Solicitors, the Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, Pilkington Communications and Poppy Design Studio for their support of this amazing opportunity for local businesses to engage directly with the Minister.

NNBN saw more member growth with a staggering 12 new members joining the NNBN Community. Welcome to All Things Business, Homefield Grange Retreat, S3UK, Psittacus Systems Ltd, Airbytes Communications Ltd, The Bedford College Group, GMS & Associates, The CPD Group, The CPD Register, Brackmills Industrial Estate, The Training Shop and Wyke Financial. We’re looking forward to working with our new members and helping them to engage within NNBN.

We’ve had meetings with new venues for further networking meetings in Northampton area and watch this space as we will be announcing them very soon! Exciting times ahead!

We’ve also announced that this year, we will be running Northamptonshire’s Good Food and Drink Festival in September and we’re looking forward to working with Kettering Park Hotel & Spa to deliver this for the local food and drink sector. Tickets are free to attend and we’ve already had seven stands booked for the event with a number of enquiries that we’re working on so exciting times ahead. Thanks once again to Wilson Browne Solicitors for supporting this year's festival.

We introduced the first of a series of workshops for local businesses with our 200 Ways To Market A Business workshop in January which was well attended and we’ve had some great feedback from those who attended saying how much help it’s given their businesses already. We thoroughly enjoyed delivering this workshop and helping local businesses to try alternative routes to market.

I chaired the first North Northants Business Forum last week which saw engagement from local business organisations and North Northants Council to ensure regular dialogue continues between private and public sector. The North Northants Business Forum was initially led by a former employee of the local authority, however, the new relaunch will see the Forum led by businesses and NNBN providing administrative support to the Forum. The Chair of the Forum will also be rotated to provide everyone with an opportunity of leading on the meeting.

Membership included Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce, FSB, Wellingborough & East Northants Chamber of Commerce, North Northants Social Enterprise Network, SEMLEP Growth Hub, Made In Northamptonshire, North Northants Council, Your Business Matters, Love Corby and Oundle Business Association. The purpose of the quarterly forum is to ensure open and clear reciprocal communication between the North Northamptonshire Business Community and Economic Development service of North Northamptonshire Council in order to support local businesses through the rising concerns of cost of living crisis, skills shortages, rising energy costs and net zero.

We have received our bronze accreditation of the Armed Forces Covenant showing our support for the Ministry of Defence and to those who have served in our armed forces or been a reservist. We are working towards the Silver accreditation and we’re delighted to have been officially announced as an organisation supporting the covenant recently and joining the other 157 Northamptonshire based organisations and businesses who have also signed the covenant. If you would like to show your support, please do let me know and I can connect you with the M.O.D.

This morning, to end the month, I attended the first Local Skills Improvement Plan event led by the?Northamptonshire Chamber of Commerce for the SEMLEP region. I joined the Executive Group for the LSIP and looking forward to playing my part in the future. Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) were introduced as a key part of the Government's vision of an adult skills system where businesses are given a much stronger voice in local skills planning. Engaging effectively with local leaders and other stakeholders and forging a stronger and more dynamic partnership that will enable provision to be more responsive to the needs of employers and local labour markets. It's key that we engage to help shape the future and have stronger louder voice. To find out more, please visit?https://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/who-we-are/local-skills-improvement-plans-lsip

Throughout the month I also supported the opening of the new Technical Centre at AM Labels in Kettering, stood in for the Chair at Kettering Community Unit (KCU's) Board meeting where I am a Trustee and Board Member, attended the Board meeting of Kettering Community Business Centre Development Trust, where I am also a Board Member, caught up with Ian on Beat Route Radio with our monthly radio show talking business and was interviewed by Adrian Pryce on Open For Business radio show which was broadcast on NLive Radio in Northampton.

There is more going on all the time and some exciting announcements coming up including details of our Northampton meetings which start in March, further announcements with new Members joining NNBN, more support for our members, the next edition of NNBN Digital plus lots more.

Thank you to everyone who is engaged with NNBN and we're delighted to be playing a part in driving the County forward. What will February bring I wonder ?