Oxfordshire businesses encouraged to sign-up to exclusive network of support as economy emerges from COVID-19

Business leaders from across Oxfordshire are being urged to sign-up to an exclusive peer support programme helping companies to thrive following the Coronavirus restrictions.

OxLEP’s business support team OxLEP Business are currently leading its second peer networks programme created to support businesses to resolve challengesexplore ambitions and develop new collaborations.

It follows OxLEP Business delivering a pilot peer networks programme last autumn to over 150 Oxfordshire-based business leaders with companies from across multiple sectors benefiting from a series of high-impact group sessions alongside renowned mentors and advisors.

The second programme which was launched earlier this summer is already supporting a whole-host of business leaders from across Oxfordshire but OxLEP Business have announced that places on the programme – which is fully-funded and free to eligible organisations – are still available and are encouraging companies to get in touch with them.

The programme facilitates groups of business leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities and through the programme companies are supported to identify practical solutions to overcome challenges before being matched with coachesmentors and business advisors to help explore future openings and prospects.

 Stephen Spencer from Stephen Spencer + Associates discusses his experiences from a recent Peer Networks programme with OxLEP Business

Helen Brind – Growth Hub Manager at OxLEP Business – said: “Our peer networks programme has a proven track record of supporting dozens of companies – from many different sectors – during the most testing of times for our economy.

“We are genuinely delighted to once again offer businesses in the county this brilliant programme of support which has received a series of very positive reviews following the completion of our first peer networks programmewhich ended earlier in 2021. We are keen to ensure all eligible businesses in the county are aware of peer networks and would actively encourage them to find out more about it.

“Our business community will continue to face many challenges in the coming months following the COVID-19 pandemic and indeed our departure from the European Union.

“This programme of support will aid participants to be well-prepared moving forward.”

One of the dozens of businesses to have benefited from the first peer networks programme was Firefly Merchandise – a creative merchandise company based in Henley-on-Thames.

Firefly Merchandise’s managing director Carol Ingram says that the programme acted as a timely intervention at a critical time for her business as well as helping to create long-lasting business relationships with other companies who took part in OxLEP Business’ first peer networks programme.

Carol said: “The direction of my business evolved. The longer I was involved with the support offered by OxLEP Business – including the peer networks programme – the more it helped me to push my business towards the place it needed to be.

“It was an extra ‘shove’ in the right direction provided through lots of likeminded and supportive people – it was reallyreally helpful.”

Businesses do need to meet certain eligibility criteria to take part in the programme – this includes the need to have been in operation for at least 12 months and to have a turnover of at least £100000 per annum.

However OxLEP Business are encouraging Oxfordshire-based companies to get in touch with them to discuss the programme and their potential eligibility as well as other business support programmes available through the county’s local enterprise partnership.

Helen Brind added: “We are trying extremely hard to inform our business community that there is lots of support available to themwhether nationally – or in our case – locally.

“We know the past 18 months has been an incredibly lonely place for many businesspeople in the county but we genuinely believe we can help to create a positive future with the beauty of this programme being the ability to connect business leaders all likely to be facing very similar challenges.

“Now is also a great time to engage with the programme as at the end of September we will be bringing all peer networks businesses past and present together for an exclusive event.

“Away from peer networks we have created a business support tool which is available for all Oxfordshire businesses to complete via our website. It only takes a few minutes to complete and from there we are able to create a bespoke action plan pointing businesses to a range of support options – hugely critical with our economy beginning to open back up.”

Since lockdownOxLEP has supported over 2000 Oxfordshire-based businesses with COVID-specific issues and provided almost £2million-worth of advice and mentoringwhilst administering in excess of £5million-worth of direct funding into businesses across multiple sectors.

Over 800 businesses in the county were also supported with Brexit-specific advice following the UK’s departure from the European Union at the start of this year.

Find out more on peer networks and sign-up to the programme