North Kesteven The place to invest The place to grow
Discover how to promote your experience at the third workshop of the Unmissable North Kesteven Tourism support programme.
This workshop will be taking place on Wednesday 13 December, from 1pm till 4pm. Reserve your free place by visiting Destination Lincolnshire’s Eventbrite page.
People can enjoy free parking in Sleaford every Saturday in December, in any North Kesteven District Council-owned car park there this festive period.
Free parking will be available in these car parks in support of Small Business Saturday tomorrow, Saturday 2 December, and on the following Saturdays (December 9, 16, 23 and 30 December 2023) with no need to display a ticket.
This goodwill gesture from North Kesteven District Council aims to ensure more residents and visitors can enjoy shopping in Sleaford for Christmas and support businesses in the town centre while they do. It’s also an opportunity for more people to discover all that Sleaford offers – its walks, leisure centres, museums, cafes and the Hub. The free car parking will apply only to North Kesteven District Council owned car parks, which are:
While these free Saturdays in 2023 don’t apply to Eastgate car park, shoppers can still get its usual low rates of £1.50 for three hours or £3.50 for over three hours. The first hour is also free, along with free evening and Sunday parking.
Other requirements still apply across all – i.e parking considerately and within the bays; and displaying a Blue Badge if using a marked disabled space.
There’s no reason not to shop local this Small Business Saturday, our District is full of hundreds of amazing small and independent businesses and supporting them can make a huge difference to them and their business during the festive period and all year round.
If you’re stuck for ideas of ways to celebrate, there will be a Shop Small Market on Heckington Village Green on Saturday 2 December from 9am to 12pm. Stall holders vary from sweet treats and bakes to local heritage sites selling their products. You’ll find handmade goods alongside community groups, with lots to see and buy.
There will also be a street entertainer at the market, drawing caricatures, in their own unique style.
The market will run alongside the Village Breakfast and Craft morning in the Village Hall, make sure you pay the stall holders in there a visit too. Heckington also has many wonderful small businesses, where you can grab a coffee, a bite to eat or even make a start on your Christmas shopping!
The Government and Greater Lincolnshire are minded to agree a devolution deal which will provide the area with new powers and funding to increase opportunities and living standards through inclusive growth and productivity improvements.
A new devolution agreement will see the creation of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA), alongside a directly elected mayor for the area. The election for which, could be held in May 2025.
As well as new investment into Greater Lincolnshire, this deal could create a stronger voice for our area. It will bring several benefits such as charging business growth, creating more high skill high wage jobs in key sectors, and improved transport links.
Read more about the proposal by visiting the Council’s website.
Together with Starbucks, Hubbub is offering 50 groups up to £6,000 of funding to develop green space initiatives and increase access to nature. They will support groups to create or enhance green spaces.
This grant is specific and you must be within 5km from a Starbucks. This means that in North Kesteven, only businesses and groups in North Hykeham and Doddington (at a push) may be eligible.
Find out more information: https://hubbub.org.uk/the-nature-hubs-fund
The Government and Greater Lincolnshire are minded to agree a devolution deal which will provide the area with new powers and funding to increase opportunities and living standards through inclusive growth and productivity improvements.
A new devolution agreement will see the creation of the Greater Lincolnshire Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA), alongside a directly elected mayor for the area. The aim is for the first mayoral election to be held in May 2025.
As well as new investment into Greater Lincolnshire, this deal could create a stronger voice for our area. It will bring several benefits such as charging business growth, creating more high skill high wage jobs in key sectors, and improved transport links.
Read more about the proposal by visiting the Council’s website.
Experts in the visitor economy Destination Lincolnshire and Unmissable England are delivering the support, and it’s been secured by North Kesteven District Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
It will start with a launch event taking place on Tuesday 28 November, from 11-2pm at the Natural World Centre, Whisby which will tackle the idea of becoming an Experience Maker and how to develop your own bookable experience.
Unmissable England will then present a range of tourism training workshops in person and online to those businesses with a proactive interest and that sign-up on the day. Businesses will be taken on a journey throughout the programme, with a mix of workshops, one-to-one support and collaborative sessions.
In recent years there has been an increased demand for bookable experiences, and so emphasis will be placed on businesses creating or developing a bookable experience.
The programme will also align with other significant objectives such as accessibility and inclusivity, sustainability and being environmentally friendly, diversification and experiential off-season products, through dedicated workshops such as ‘Greening your business’. This type of programme is the first of its kind and has the potential to pave the way for other local authorities to help boost their visitor economy in a similar way.
The programme of support will run until November 2024 and will avoid peak seasons such as Christmas and Summer. If you are interested in attending any of the workshops, we encourage you to attend the launch event on November 28, which will cover how to develop your own bookable experience.
You can book your free place by visiting the eventbrite website.
This year out of the 30 highlighted in The Lincolnites 30 under 30, 6 are based in North Kesteven, a true testament to the young talent in our district. See below for a short summary of those recognised for their excellence, or view the full list of 30 under 30.
Callum Donnelly, 28, Design Lead, Fizzco
Callum’s innovative approach extends to mastering 3D Matterport technology and 3D modelling. His digital designs offer a more immersive product and understanding, reducing environmental impact.
Charlotte Massingham, 26, Teacher and Arts Lead, Church Lane Primary School
Charlotte embodies a devotion to education that transcends the classroom. She creates a stimulating learning environment that nurtures not just knowledge but also curiosity and critical thinking.
Emma Brearley, 27, Brand Manager, Tillotts Pharma UK Limited
Upon her promotion to Associate Brand Manager of a £2.7 million brand, Emma swiftly launched a new product, capturing a 6% market share within two months. Emma is now preparing for an international secondment in Switzerland as a Global Brand Lead.
Jonathan Hadleigh, 27, Marketing Assistant, Integrity Software Systems
Jonathan has taken on significant responsibilities within the company’s Green Team and Works Council. These roles underscore his dedication to sustainability, as he helps maintain the company’s Carbon Neutral+ status.
Shannon Riglin, 28, Managing Director, Tiffin & Co Bakehouse Ltd
Shannon has piloted the company to impressive heights despite the economic challenges of the past two years. A significant leap was the £50,000 investment in a new production unit in Sleaford, enahncing production capabilities, meeting the demand of a growing client base.
Jacob Lord, 25 Director, Seraph Technologies / Construct3D
Jacob is the inventor behind the UK’s fastest 3D printer and he has disrupted the additive manufacturing world with his invention. Their claims of speed, reliability, and quality were later independently verified by Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), which found the printer to outperform competitors priced 100 times higher.
Work to build 15 units at Sleaford Moor Enterprise Park is now complete, moving the development even closer to welcoming in the first businesses to call it home.
The units are built across plots one and three, which together make up phase one. They have smart-looking dark cladding on the outside, while being bright and airy inside with high roofs and ample space.
They’re all designed to meet business needs now and in future, by providing flexible space to grow and in reducing energy use through features including EV charging points, solar panels, and even skylights within the plot one units.
In plot one there are nine units ranging from 1,313 sq ft to 2,066 sq ft – these benefit from solar panels, energy efficient insulation and electric vehicle charging points. Plot three contains six slightly larger grow-on business units from 3,369 sq ft to 5,123 sq ft and these have solar panels, EV charging points and more.
Among the final touches to come for phase one will include landscaping and further planting including native trees, and even some new roadside signage facing Pride Parkway contains planting.
For more information, contact Eddisons Incorporating Banks Long & Co or view the Phase One Brochure.
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities.