A Shop Small Market is being planned to celebrate Small Business Saturday. It will be held in Heckington on Saturday 2 December and pitches will be free of charge.

It could be the perfect opportunity for a business starting up, without a physical storefront, or a business wanting to branch out to new customers. Businesses will need to provide evidence of their Public Liability Insurance and any food or drink licenses if applicable.

There will be stalls provided but you can also bring your own gazebo or trailer, please let us know your requirements when applying. Places will be limited, so please let us know if you are interested at the earliest convenience by emailing [email protected] and include the name, type of business, and business address

The Rural Business Grant (RBG) supports rural businesses to invest in sustainable growth across the District. The minimum grant available through the RBG is £5,000, and to demonstrate value for money applicants will be required to offer match funding. There will be two application windows, with the current one for 23/24 still open and accepting applications. The second window will be opened in time for the 24/25 financial year. The fund will support capital investments only.

The deadline for projects to be completed has been updated. The March 2024 deadline for completion of projects applying in the current window has been removed. All projects, irrespective of which application window they are submitted will have until March 2025 to complete the actual works.

Apply for the Rural Business Grant.

This grant is being delivered by North Kesteven District Council for DEFRA under the Rural England Prosperity Fund. This allocation is an addendum to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

There will be a week of fringe events kicking off on Saturday 14 October with a range of activities around the town. The festival finale will then take place on Saturday 21 October with lots of exciting workshops, art installations and plenty of activities for all to enjoy.

There will be lots to see and do, so why not take a look at the digital version of the programme? You can also pick up a physical copy in various shops, restaurants and cafes in Sleaford.

You can still get involved! The RiverLight team are looking for enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. This a chance to contribute to an event that will shine a spotlight on Sleaford’s vibrant essence. To sign up as a volunteer, please email [email protected] and include ‘RiverLight Volunteer’ in the subject line.

The RiverLight Festival has received £77,000 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This money has been distributed by North Kesteven District Council, under the Events Programme.

Shoppers can enjoy great deals in Sleaford while seeing how their spending ripples out across the local economy in North Kesteven through a new campaign.

The Magic Tenner event runs from Saturday 7 October until Saturday 21 October and will see a number of retailers in the town offering up £10 deals. You can spot these offers by looking for Magic Tenner posters in shop windows.

Lots of those taking part are also displaying Magic Tenner posters with the number of local businesses that supply or work with them – so you can see how your £10 spent there will directly support other local people and livelihoods.

The campaign also leads into RiverLight Festival 2023 in Sleaford, which will see the town centre filled with light and colour once again though live performances, installations and activities, music, and is a great opportunity to shop local. The festival officially begins with a week of fringe events from Saturday 14 October and finishes with a finale day on Saturday 21 October.

So far, the businesses running Magic Tenner offers across the fortnight include:

Beautifully Handmade Gift shop, in Bristol Arcade in Sleaford, which supports 20 other local businesses and is offering any two Lulabel hair accessories for £10

Market Square Cafe and Restaurant, which is located in Sleaford’s Market Place, supports 13 businesses. Their offer is: a mini afternoon tea for £10, which includes a sandwich and a slice of cake, from selected sandwiches and cakes only, a fruit scone and a regular filter coffee or pot of tea.

Glow Suntan Centre, in Millstream Square in Sleaford. Their offer is: 12 minutes on the sunbed for £10.

The Queens Head Coffee Shop in Kesteven Street in Sleaford. Their offer is: breakfast or lunch for two for £10.

Alexandras Boutique on Southgate in Sleaford. Their offer is: all styles of their bobble hats are reduced from £12-£15 to £10.

Appetites, in Bristol Arcade in Sleaford. Their offer is: any two filled rolls (excluding double deckers) and any two hot drinks to eat in, for £10.

Cogglesford Watermill, off Eastgate in Sleaford supports six local independent businesses. Their offer is: 1.5kg wholemeal and 1.5kg white flour, a history book, plum bread and a postcard for £10.

Glitz and Glamour Boutique, on Southgate in Sleaford. Their offer is: 10% off selected items.

Ruth Burrows Illustration, at Navigation Wharf in Sleaford Their offer is: Sleaford mug, two coasters and a postcard for £10.

The Hutch Shop, Millstream Square in Sleaford. Their offer is: a selection of travel harnesses for £10, reduced from £19.99.

Keep an eye out for other offers during the campaign, and businesses helping to amplify by displaying the campaign posters such as the Sleaford Sausage Shop in Bristol Arcade in Sleaford which supports 12 local independent businesses.

Sleaford is taking part alongside over 50 Magic Tenner Towns across the UK, with businesses in all those locations offering £10 deals to get people out onto the high streets and give a boost to the local economy.

This Magic Tenner campaign is sponsored by Bira (The British Independent Retailers Association) who work as the voice of independent retail and other high street businesses, fighting for a level playing field for the independent sector.

The Totally Locally Magic Tenner campaign is free for any independent business to join in. For more information and to get posters and promotional kit for your business, contact the Council’s Economic Development Team by emailing [email protected]

These materials are being provided with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, through the events programme for North Kesteven.

Your Business Boost is a cohort-based programme, designed to help those in retail, hospitality and leisure achieve their business ambitions.

The programme starts with a group session bringing all participants together. From there, participants can access masterclasses on subjects such as Marketing, HR, Sales and also receive more bespoke support through 1-2-few sessions and 1-2-1 support with a subject expert.

The first cohort starts on Wednesday 18 October, with fiver further cohorts scheduled through to March 2025. The programme takes 8 weeks to complete, with each week offering 3 hours of learning opportunities for participants to access.

Visit Business Lincolnshire for more information and to register your interest.

Sleaford is taking part in this years Magic Tenner event, a new Totally Locally national campaign for independent high streets and businesses taking place on 7 October until 21 October.

The aim of the campaign is to show how spending £10 in a local independent can mean up to £50 going back into the local economy (based on this study from The New Economics Foundation). It really is like magic!

There will be lots of amazing £10 offers from local shops and businesses in Sleaford, follow @BusinessNK on twitter for regular updates.

Businesses wanting to take part can access the free materials in this shared folder. Our team will be going around Sleaford with posters and a selfie frame, if we haven’t got round to you email [email protected] to let us know.

For online sharing visit Create Your Own – Totally Locally, here you can edit the text to easily share your offer and the number of businesses you support through your suppliers.

New fire safety guidance and regulations will come into force Sunday 1 October and are relevant for small accommodation businesses that take paying guests. Check if the new guidance applies to your business, and if so see below for some support on ensuring you meet the new regulations.

VisitEngland have support available, including a Fire Risk Assessment Template, which is fully compliant with the new regulations. They have also released a  free to watch webinar as well as other guidance and support.

The National Fire Chiefs Council provides a Guide to choosing a competent Fire Risk Assessor, which includes links to different professional associations.

North Kesteven District Council has launched a short survey, inviting people to share their priorities and wish lists for the District’s visitor economy to help form the North Kesteven Tourism Survey 2024-2029.

We want to hear from businesses and visitor attractions, as well as residents and visitors. The closing date for the survey is Tuesday 31 October, you can complete the survey by clicking HERE.

If you would prefer a paper copy, please email [email protected] or collect one from one of our visitor venues:

• Mrs Smiths Cottage, Navenby
• Cogglesford Watermill, Sleaford
• Navigation House, Sleaford
• Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum, Sleaford

Phoenix Kitchens, a kitchen manufacturer and retailer, has opened a new showroom and created two new jobs since moving to North Kesteven District Council’s Scoley Court business park.

The new showroom has resulted in additional sales and continued expansion, leading to needing more warehouse space. The business has now taken on unit 4, as well 5, 6 and 7. The business celebrates its 20th anniversary in October, so it is perfect timing.