Restart grant closes next week
Another reminder that the closing date for applications to the Restart Grant Scheme is 30 June 2021, so get your application in if you haven’t already applied.
The Restart grant scheme supports businesses that offer in-person services, where the main service and activity takes place in a fixed rate-paying premises. Eligible businesses include non-essential retailers or businesses in the hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care (eg hairdresser, nail salon), and gym sectors.
You must have been trading on 1st April 2021 to be eligible for the funding.
If you need help applying for this grant please call our business helpline on 023 9284 1641.
Calling all small businesses to lead the charge to net zero
The Together for Our Planet ‘Business Climate Leaders’ campaign encourages small and micro businesses to commit to cutting their emissions in half by 2030 and to net zero by 2050 or sooner through the new UK Business Climate Hub.
Small businesses can use the hub to find practical tools, resources and advice to understand your emissions and develop a plan to tackle them, as well as providing ideas for steps you can take.
Luxury cruise liner Scarlet Lady arrives in Portsmouth
This week Portsmouth has welcomed Virgin Voyage’s Scarlet Lady cruise ship, which at 277m is the largest vessel ever handled by the port. The visit marks the start of regular appearances from the ship as she prepares for the world’s first passenger sailings in August.
Spectators were given a taste of Virgin Voyage’s premium luxury style, complete with experimental dining options, festival-curated entertainment, and styling from renowned designer Tom Dixon, as she sashayed her way into Portsmouth.
Portsmouth agrees Sister Cities
The council has approved sister city status for Halifax, Canada, and the Falkland Islands in a cabinet meeting that took place on Tuesday.
It was agreed that the main purpose for any new international relationship should be to support economic development along with development of appropriate specialist relationships such as between Universities and based on naval links.
Park and Ride reopens
The Park & Ride is re-opening on Monday 19 July. Our PR1 service to Gunwharf Quays via the city centre will operate with the same regular timetable and route, with buses running every 15 minutes, seven days a week.
As life begins to return to normal, with people returning to workplaces and making the most of the city’s shopping, leisure facilities and attractions, we hope that you’ll continue to use Park & Ride for a more relaxing and sustainable way of travelling into the city.
Welcoming customers? Check them in first with the NHS Covid-19 app
If you’re welcoming customers into your business, don’t forget to check them in using the NHS Covid-19 app. Create your own official NHS QR code poster and display it at the entrance to help support contact tracing. It’s a quick and easy way to help stop the spread of coronavirus in Portsmouth.
It works anonymously but means that if people visit a venue and later test positive for coronavirus, other app users who were there at the same time may be sent an alert, if local public health teams think this is necessary. The app notification will not mention the name of your venue, it will just let app users know that they may have come into contact with coronavirus and provide them with public health advice.
Self-isolation reminder
A reminder that if a member of your staff tests positive for Covid, they need to self isolate.
Anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home and self-isolate immediately.
If a staff member tests positive, their self-isolation period includes the day their symptoms started (or the day they had the test, if they do not have symptoms) and the next 10 full days.
If your staff member lives with someone that has tested positive they will also need to self-isolate at the same time.
It’s an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are self-isolating (normally their home).
Read more on the government page
Help to Grow: Management
The University of Portsmouth will be delivering the ‘Help to Grow: Management’ programme this year. Following on from the success of the Small Business Leadership Programme earlier this year, the new ‘Help To Grow: Management’ programme will support senior managers of small and medium sized businesses to boost their business’s performance, resilience, and long-term growth. The 12-week programme is 90% funded by the Government and has been designed to allow participants to complete it alongside full-time work.
The team is running an online event on July 5th (2-4pm), where local business leaders can meet the team and some of the participants who successfully completed the Small Business Leadership Programme earlier this year.
