by Alison Shaw | Apr 16, 2020 | Latest News
We know that working from home is not an option for the majority of us at the moment. To help support you and your staff, we have found and would like to share with you some of the very best FREE online training courses. These are just a few of the options available to you and there are plenty more to choose from should you wish to search google!
This is a great opportunity to take your professional skills to the next level, develop new skills and gain new qualifications with the flexibility to study at your own pace with no strict deadlines or timetabling.
Google Digital Garage- https://learndigital.withgoogle.com/digitalgarage/courses
Discover a range of free learning content designed to help grow your business or jump-start your career with Google Digital Garage. You can learn by selecting individual modules, or dive right in and take an entire course end-to-end depending on which course you choose!
HMRC- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8EcnheDt1zhTsyhT9ak3xiXnmlvbHJJV
HMRC are delivering a programme of webinars on measures to support employers, employees and the self-employed through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19. Come and watch a video of the recorded webinar on the HMRC YouTube channel Coronavirus – (COVID-19): helping employers to support employee.
Hubspot- https://academy.hubspot.com/
Take your professional skills to the next level with free, online training from HubSpot Academy. From quick, practical courses to comprehensive certifications, learn everything you need to know about the most sought-after business skills.
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/business/learn
Learn new marketing skills with Facebook Blueprint! Build your digital marketing knowledge, boost your career and add value to your company with free online training, resources and certifications.
Britvic- https://sensationaldrinks.com/covid-19-support/free-training-and-certification/
Britvic Sensational Drinks spoke to their partners to see what they can do to help you during this time and they have offered Free Courses to those in the hospitality industry.
WCG- https://wcg.ac.uk/page/1209/distance-learning-courses
WCG are offering a number of online courses that’s will help you develop your skills in a number of different areas.
Halesowen BID- www.freecoursesinengland.co.uk
The Halesowen BID has teamed up with local training provider ‘Market Smarter’ to offer FREE courses to the people of Halesowen, from customer service, IT skills and much more.
Instagram- https://instagrowthboss.com/join
Improve your Instagram Skills by completing this FREE Instagram Mini Course! Discover the 3 secrets to organically DOUBLING your leads, clients and sales in 2020!
Plus….. YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/ is literally FULL of free content to help businesses with anything imaginable.
Please keep in touch and share your online courses with us, as we are stronger together.
Best wishes and stay safe,
Steph and Alison.
by Alison Shaw | Jun 20, 2019 | Latest News
Temperatures are forecast to rise at this year’s ‘Summer of Fun’ in Leamington with a celebration of Brazilian music and dance spicing up the festival line-up.
The Brazilian Festival was a new event for the town and featured live music, performances and workshops representing the rich and vibrant culture of the South American country.
It took over the Pump Room Gardens on Sunday, June 9, and be one of many free-to-attend events happening in the town centre up to September, billed as the ‘Summer of Fun’ by BID Leamington.
Cars at the Spa is another first-timer for the ‘Summer of Fun’ and the classic car rally on Sunday, June 30 will also be held at the Pump Room Gardens.
The Brazilian Festival and Cars at the Spa will fall on the weekends either side of the oldest event, Leamington Peace Festival, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year and is one of the UK’s longest-running free festivals.
Leamington Peace Festival is always held on the weekend before the Summer Solstice and returns to the Pump Room Gardens on Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16.
The Big Victorian Picnic will take place on Saturday, July 27 to mark the completion of work to restore the Pump Room Gardens to their former glory.
The Pump Room Gardens will also host Leamington Carnival on Saturday, July 13, Warwickshire Pride on Saturday, August 17 and Leamington Food and Drink Festival on Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8.
Art in the Park will return to Jephson Gardens on Saturday, August 3 and Sunday, August 4.
Alison Shaw, project manager at BID Leamington, said: “This year’s ‘Summer of Fun’ is set to be the biggest and best ever with new festivals being added to the programme.
“Together they attract tens of thousands of local people and visitors to the town centre, and offer something for everyone with a broad celebration of art, culture, food, drink, and entertainment.
“BID Leamington is delighted to be supporting each one and once again organising the Leamington Food and Drink Festival which in its 12th year will feature some 130 exhibitors and attract over 25,000 visitors alone.”
The Brazilian Festival will be the climax to the Brazilian Culture Week, which was first brought to the town in 2016 by the Brazil Culture & Arts Community.
Project manager Leandro Menezes said: “The Brazilian Festival will be a great way to celebrate the end of the Brazilian Culture Week and will showcase performances from the workshops held, including Samba and Capoeira.
“It will be a fun way for the whole family to experience Brazilian culture and heritage with bands, dancers, food and drink and more.”
Cars at the Spa is being organised by the Rotary Club of Royal Leamington Spa and will raise money for local charities.
Mike Hoyland, one of the organisers, said: “We will have over 100 classic cars, mostly from the Warwickshire area, ranging from pre-war Bentleys to military Land Rovers and an old Vauxhall Viva.
“There will be classics that will remind people of family cars they had when they were young, and ones that people will say they’ve always wanted. With entertainment from local bands and food and drink stalls, it should be a fantastic day.”
For more information about ‘Summer of Fun’, visit https://www.royal-leamington-spa.co.uk/whats-on/
by Alison Shaw | Nov 7, 2018 | BID Buzz Blogs
Warwick District Council (WDC) are hosting two meetings relating to the Covent Garden Car Park development, which local businesses are invited to next week. As you may know, it is proposed this car park will close in around 10 weeks for approx 18 months. We have been asked to communicate the following details to local businesses, which are below and attached:
Meeting – Option 1: Monday 12 November – Evening (Public)
Where: Royal Spa Centre, Leamington
Who: Residents and businesses invited.
When: Arrive from 6.30pm for refreshments. 7pm start.
Details: The meeting will be independently chaired by Phil Upton, of BBC CWR. Phil will take questions from the floor for the panel of Warwick District Councillors and Senior Officers responsible for the delivery of the ambitious HQ plans and car parking displacement plan during the development of Covent Garden Car Park.
Meeting – Option 2: Tuesday 13 November – Morning. Please RSVP. Businesses Only.
Where: Cote Brasserie, Regents Court, Livery St, CV32 4NG
Who: Businesses only invited.
When: 7am.
Details: You are invited you to a breakfast meeting to discuss the Council’s plans for its HQ move and car parking provision during the re-development of Covent Garden car park. A panel of Councillors and Officers will be available for you to ask questions and hear more about the proposals.
Please RSVP: business@warwickdc.gov.uk (by Wed 7th if possible)
We will attend them both – you are welcome to also. If you cannot attend and have any specific questions please let us know and we will endeavour to have them answered.
Please also do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to have a conversation about this – work is ongoing. For details of the work we have been doing: https://bidleamington.com/work-is-on-going-covent-garden/. Please feel free to pass the details on to neighbouring businesses.
by Alison Shaw | Sep 18, 2018 | Latest News
The sun shone through for the Leamington Food and Drink Festival as a fitting finale to the town’s scorching ‘Summer of Fun’.
Blue skies on the closing day of the weekend showcase of food and drink, now in its 11th year, saw the Royal Pump Room Gardens bursting with foodies and flavour.
The festival lived up to its reputation as one of the country’s best autumn food festivals with a spoilt-for-choice range of exhibitors dishing up tastes from near and far, from local beer, cider and wine to global cannoli, jerk chicken and churros.
A feast of local chefs showed off their culinary skills with demonstrations in the Live Kitchen over the two days – but it was time for the best amateur cooks to shine on Sunday with the the return of Home Cook of the Year.
A record number of entries to the competition, run by Aubrey Allen with festival organisers BID Leamington, made it tough to pick three finalists to go head-to-head in a three-course cook-off in front of crowds at the festival.
And the decisions didn’t get any easier when Sean Hughes, Tim Robbins and Trudie Udell stepped up to the plate to wow the judging panel of Russell Allen, managing director of Aubrey Allen, Clive Fretwell, executive chef at Brasserie Blanc, and Sophie Hyam, Home Cook Winner 2017.
It was Tim, a University Hospital Coventry doctor from Leamington, who was crowned this year’s champion.
Congratulating all three finalists, Sophie said: “The competition was amazing and there were so many different dishes with great flavours and combinations, but Clive, myself and Russell all agreed that the overall winner was Tim.”
Tim said: “I’m a little bit shocked! I was not expecting it by any means but I’m really delighted. It’s been such great fun and I would encourage anyone to enter next year.”
Alison Shaw, project manager at BID Leamington, said: “With the diversity of exhibitors this year, it really has lived up to its reputation as one of the best food festivals around.
“Many of the exhibitors sold out on the first day and had to replenish their supplies overnight which is a great sign of how well it’s gone.
“New for this year was us offering a free drink to anyone travelling to the festival by train and there was a great take-up which was really pleasing.
“It’s topped off what has been a memorable ‘Summer of Fun’ with Leamington Peace Festival, Leamington Carnival, Art in the Park and Warwickshire Pride, and our thanks to all of the volunteers who have helped make them all such a resounding success.”
by Alison Shaw | Dec 16, 2014 | Latest News
This year’s Leamington Lantern Parade was once again a spectacular sight and the highlight was a stunning ‘Peacock Carriage’ designed by a local schoolgirl.
Nine-year-old Rathura Kavuru won a competition, organised by the Royal Spa Centre in partnership with BID Leamington, to create the stunning focal point of the parade now in its fourth year.
As a wonderful twist, the Royal Priors Shopping Centre in Leamington Spa will once again be home to a giant peacock as the carriage which led the parade will be on display there until Christmas.
The sight of the carriage will bring back memories of the eye-catching peacock clock which once sat in front of a huge painting of Warwick Castle in the shopping centre.
Rathura’s design was brought to life during lantern making workshops hosted at the Royal Spa Centre, Family Tree and Warwickshire College’s Leamington campus in the run-up to the parade. The peacock carriage was built over three weeks by community artist Fran Godwin, from the Community Arts Workshop, and celebrates the Cinderella pantomime at the Royal Spa Centre.
Fran said: “Once again the lantern workshops and parade have proved to be incredibly creative and popular – bringing together so many people to make so many lovely lanterns! “I really enjoyed making the giant peacock carriage and hope that this is the first of many large lantern sculptures we’ll see in the parade.”
Stephanie Kerr, from BID Leamington, which organises the lantern parade, said: “Around 500 people braved the elements to join in this year’s Leamington Lantern Parade. “There was a beautiful string of lanterns of all shapes, sizes and designs surrounding the Royal Pump Rooms that then led into the town and culminated around the Tree of Lights at the Town Hall with Christmas carols, real reindeer and a stilt-waking Father Christmas. “It was yet again a fantastic community event and huge thanks to CJ Events, the local police, Warwick District Council and all the many volunteers who gave up their time to make it such a great success.”
Jo Lewis, from the Royal Spa Centre, said: “We were overwhelmed at the level of creativity and imagination that went into the entries for our lantern competition this year. “To see Rathura’s face light up when she was paraded through Leamington in her giant peacock carriage was just magical. We are already looking forward to next year’s competition for Jack & the Beanstalk.”
