Grants are now available to owners and occupiers of commercial properties within Sleaford town centre. The purpose of the grant scheme is to help reverse the decline and enhance the historic environment in Sleaford conservation area through offering funding towards targeted repairs, reinstatement and replacements of shopfronts. The scheme will focus on reinstating lost or damaged features of historic properties, with a particular emphasis on reinstating traditional shop fronts where modern frontages have been installed.

A fund of £150,000 is available and grants can be offered at up to 90% of the total cost of works. Further details of the grant scheme, including terms and conditions, are available by contacting the Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire at [email protected] or by emailing [email protected] and quoting ‘Sleaford shopfront grant’ and we encourage you to get in touch to explore the possibilities which the grant can offer.

Find out more information here.

This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

We’re looking for 300 SMEs in North Kesteven to join the Get Zero Get Zellar project and discover how going green could benefit your business, whilst also saving you money.

North Kesteven District Council is the latest to join the project to boost local net zero progress, and we’re offering free access to Zellar, an online sustainability tool that helps you cut your carbon footprint and energy bills.

Zellar guides you through the process of calculating and understanding your carbon emissions and then building an achievable plan to reduce them, based on the size and sector of your company. You can find more info here.

Tackling meaningful climate action helps a business to stand out in the marketplace and customers want to support eco-friendly enterprises. Taking part in this free programme will make it clear to customers that a business is making a positive impact.

You can claim your free access by signing up here.

Businesses in North Kesteven can now get funded access to expert digital skills training and social media tools. It is aimed at improving social media use, and in turn driving increased sales. It is being delivered by the team of experts at Maybe*.

Businesses will have access to over £400 worth of social media tools and training, including everything from where to get started with social media to advanced strategies about how to use Facebook ads to deliver winning sales tactics. This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

You can access it now, by signing up here.

Expressions of interest are open for a capital grant scheme which will help rural businesses in North Kesteven invest in sustainable growth.

The Rural Business Grant is specifically aimed at supporting new and existing rural businesses to develop products, services and facilities of wider benefit to the local economy.

Possible examples include farm businesses looking to diversify income streams, growth in the visitor economy including visitor accommodation, and investments in power or energy efficiency which will make a positive contribution to the District reaching net zero.

The grant is being delivered by North Kesteven District Council for DEFRA, under the Rural England Prosperity Fund. The first window for Expressions of Interest is open from now until Thursday 1 June.

Do you own, run or manage a business in North Kesteven? Whether you’re a sole trader, an SME or something bigger, we want to hear from you.

As part of our ongoing work to better support our local enterprises we want to understand your thoughts, views and aspirations about tackling climate change within your business.

Your responses will help us to shape the support we offer in this field, and to tailor our programmes to your needs.

Complete the survey online here. 

There’s so much happening in Sleaford this Christmas with an array of activities and events taking place on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November and throughout December.

There’s music, the Christmas lights switch on, a packed programme of creativity at the Hub, special events and activities arranged by enthusiastic traders – notably at Millstream Square and Bristol Arcade – and loads more besides.

Collect a leaflet with all the key events and activities from a number of shops, cafes and venues in Sleaford. You can also view the listings on www.heartoflincs.com

On 21 September the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg announced new support for households, businesses and public sector organisations facing rising energy bills in Great Britain.

Through the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers (including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals) whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices. This support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial 6-month period. Further information is available here.

Visit Lincolnshire and Business Lincolnshire are running the Hospitable Boost programme for businesses across Greater Lincolnshire and Rutland once again in October.

The programme will be delivered over a 7-week period, with a combination of group sessions and one-to-one support to provide a flexible schedule for business owners. 

This fully funded bespoke programme will be delivered by specialist consultancy firm CDI Alliance, offering you the chance to join like-minded business people from the hospitality and tourism sector. 

Visit Lincolnshire and Business Lincolnshire are running a series of ‘Tell me more’ events throughout September, providing more information on what the programme entails, as well as guidance on eligibility and how to apply. These will run between 10:30 – 11:00 on: 

• Tuesday 13 September 
• Thursday 15 September 
• Thursday 22 September 
• Tuesday 27 September 

To sign-up to these sessions, click here. 

The Hospitable Boost programme will commence on Tuesday October 18th. Businesses can register their interest here.

YMCA Lincolnshire’s Age-friendly Business Award scheme recognises local businesses who foster a positive approach to ageing.

The award is open to businesses and services in Lincolnshire who have been operating for more than 6 months and who meet the set criteria in the following categories:

• Respect and Inclusion
• Customer Comfort
• Clear Marketing and Communications
• Accessibility

Over 50s make up a significant proportion of the population and
are an important part of our economy with 23% of Lincolnshire
residents aged over 65.

Age-friendly Business status also speaks volumes when
attracting customers visiting the area. A report by the Greater
Lincolnshire LEP revealed that the highest proportion of visitors
were age 55 – 64 years.

To become an Age-friendlly business please register your interest with the Community Development Officer or contact the team on 01529 301966 or by emailing Grace Tompkins.

For more information view the leaflet here.

There is an escalating issue regarding the theft of waste cooking oil from the hospitality and catering industry across the UK.

Commercial operators cannot pour their waste oils down the sink. Instead they must collect their waste cooking oil and pass it to a registered waste carrier, who will pay approx. 25p/litre for it. It is this storage and collection that
is being targeted by criminals. More information can be found on this EA Waste Cooking Oil Bulletin  from the Environment Agency.

The Environment Agency is interested in details of:

• Spates or hotspots where cooking oil theft occurs
• Vehicles which are suspected of being involved in waste cooking oil theft
• Drivers or passengers using the vehicle and the paperwork they use to prove that they are legitimate (e.g. waste carriers licence or waste transfer receipts)

If you have any intelligence, please email the National Intelligence Team, with the reference ‘WASTE COOKING OIL’: