Business Direction Online
Latest News
Introducing Business Direction Online, your one stop shop for all local and industry news.
Business Direction Online is updated daily, bringing you news from across Herefordshire & Worcestershire. Explore our Members exciting and important updates and keep up to date with any Chamber news.
If you’re a Chamber Member, you can submit your latest news stories free of charge and promote updates to local business professionals. Contact our Marketing team for more information.
New Construction & Trade Forum Series Launched to Support Industry Collaboration
The Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the launch of its new Construction & Trade Forum series, designed to bring together professionals from across the sector to share knowledge, discuss key challenges, and explore...
Latest Article
New Construction & Trade Forum Series Launched to Support Industry Collaboration
The Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the launch of its new Construction & Trade Forum series, designed to bring together professionals from across the sector to share knowledge, discuss key challenges, and explore...
Member News
BCRS Business Loans backs Birmingham teenager to fight for Team England
A 15-year-old Muay Thai boxer from Birmingham has received sponsorship from BCRS Business Loans which will support him to compete for Team England in Thailand. Community lender BCRS Business Loans, based in Wolverhampton, has provided Louis Thompson with sponsorship...
FCA approval marks major milestone for Severn Valley Railway’s One Railway project
The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) has today announced that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has approved its application to convert Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Plc into a charitable community benefit society (CCBS), a key step in the organisation’s ambitious...
Patron & Strategic News
Wills specialists help to raise over £3,260 for Worcester Cathedral
SME Solicitors is pleased to announce that its Private Client team, alongside other local firms, have helped to raise £3,262.50 for Worcester Cathedral as part of last year’s ‘Make a Will This Summer’ scheme. As part of the campaign, SME Solicitors and other...
DOUBLE CHAMBER AWARD FINALISTS FOR SUTCLIFFE & CO
The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists for this year’s Business Awards, with Sutcliffe & Co Insurance Brokers shortlisted in two categories: Small Business of the Year and Commitment to the Community. This latest...
Chamber News
Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) Q1 2026 Report Released
Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the release of the Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) Report for Q1 2026, supported by Worcestershire County Council. The QES is the UK’s largest independent business survey and provides a key...
“I had no idea what the result was going to be” – Dandelion Video Production’s Adam Hanslow-Smith takes a DISC assessment live on his own podcast
Most personality tests get dismissed as online quizzes with vague results. But when Adam Hanslow-Smith, founder of Dandelion Video Production, sat down with DISC Practitioner Dawn Hardman for the latest episode of the What Do You Do? podcast, he didn’t just...
Our Latest Member
Welcome New Members | March 2026
A warm welcome to our newest members who joined us throughout March: Mobile Care & Domestic Services Ltd — Provides in-home care and domestic support services to help individuals maintain independence and wellbeing in their own homes. Marlow’s Cleaning...
Welcome New Members | March 2026
A warm welcome to our newest members who joined us throughout March: Mobile Care & Domestic Services Ltd — Provides in-home care and domestic support services to help individuals maintain independence and wellbeing in their own homes. Marlow’s Cleaning...
Policy News
Are Your Workplace Policies Still Fit for Purpose in 2026?
For many businesses, policies are something that get written, filed away, and only revisited when there’s an issue. But in reality, policies should be living, working documents that actively support both your people and your business. With ongoing changes in...
Menopause in the Workplace: What Employers Need to Be Aware of in 2026
Awareness of menopause in the workplace has grown significantly in recent years, and with that has come increased expectations on employers. For many businesses, this is still a relatively new area to navigate. However, it is becoming increasingly important from both...
Skills News
Worcestershire celebrates outstanding success at Annual Apprenticeship Awards
Worcestershire celebrated its commitment to developing local talent and skills at the 2025 Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards on Thursday 13 November. Now in their eleventh year of the Apprenticeships Awards, the 2025 celebrations continued to recognise the amazing...
Worcestershire businesses urged to ‘power up’ productivity and plug skills gaps with Skills Bootcamps
Businesses across Worcestershire are being urged to take advantage of Skills Bootcamps – flexible training programmes designed to upskill staff, fill skills gaps, and support long-term growth. Funded by the Department for Education and managed locally by...
Charity News
UK’S FIRST ON-SITE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING TRAINING FACILITY OPENS AT NEW COLLEGE WORCESTER, BUILT THROUGH INDUSTRY COLLABOARTION TO SUPPORT THE VISION IMPAIRED
New College Worcester (NCW), a national residential school for blind and vision impaired young people, has installed a state-of-the-art pedestrian crossing on its campus, believed to be the first of its kind in the UK. The Noel Duffy Pedestrian Crossing provides a...
Midlands businesses urged to step up for young people facing homelessness with St Basils Hike for Homeless 2026
Businesses across the Midlands are being urged to swap boardrooms for walking boots this summer as St Basils launches Hike for Homeless 2026, a powerful team challenge with real impact for young people facing homelessness. Taking place on Saturday 20 June 2026 at...
Smaller Exporters Struggling To Make Headway
The proportion of businesses reporting increased export orders sits at 25% in Q1 2026, compared with 31% in Q2 2018 There is a big split relating to the size of the business, with 23% of SMEs reporting increased orders, compared to 38% of larger firms....
BCC News
Smaller Exporters Struggling To Make Headway
The proportion of businesses reporting increased export orders sits at 25% in Q1 2026, compared with 31% in Q2 2018 There is a big split relating to the size of the business, with 23% of SMEs reporting increased orders, compared to 38% of larger firms....
Worcestershire News
2026 Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards announced following successful National Careers Week
Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Worcestershire County Council are pleased to announce the 2026 Worcestershire Apprenticeships Awards. The announcement comes at the conclusion of National Careers Week, a successful week of promoting the various...
Invitation for amateur musicians to be part of this year’s Elgar Festival
Organisers of the annual celebration of the life and music of Worcestershire’s most famous composer have announced an opportunity for musicians of all ages to be part a very special project. The Elgar Festival – which will take place from Saturday 23 May until Sunday...
Herefordshire News
Photography students set to capture Hereford’s new transport hub in pictures
Construction of Hereford’s new £10 million transport hub is being captured in pictures thanks to a group of Hereford photography students. Contractor McPhillips has partnered with Hereford College of Arts to give a group of BA Photography students regular access to...
Free 30-minute parking to be extended to on-street parking in Hereford city centre
Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet has today (Thursday 5 Feb) agreed to extend its planned 30-minute free parking scheme to include on-street parking in Hereford city centre, responding to feedback from local businesses and residents. The decision builds on the Council’s...
All Latest News
Worcester Students Win National Award for Video Game Built in Just 32 Hours
Students from the University of Worcester have won a national award for a video game they designed from scratch in a race against the clock. The third year Game Art students were taking part in the Ukie Student Game Jam, going head-to-head with teams from universities...
Skills Planning Vital To Tackle Gen Z Drift
A new report on a pioneering scheme for business-led skills planning in England has identified a pressing need to better engage Generation Z with the workplace. The analysis of Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) found they have engaged thousands of people and...
May 2026 Cohort: TDM Unveils AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4 Apprenticeship for Local Employers
Time to turn your AI ambitions into action. As artificial intelligence and automation rapidly reshape the way organisations operate, many local businesses are asking the same question: Where do we start? Or if they have started – How can we scale this? The...
Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Would you know what to do?
Someone collapses in your workplace. They are not breathing. People step back. Because they are afraid of getting it wrong. This is the moment that decides everything. And the biggest mistake is not bad CPR. It is no CPR. When someone is in cardiac arrest, they are...
Wills specialists help to raise over £3,260 for Worcester Cathedral
SME Solicitors is pleased to announce that its Private Client team, alongside other local firms, have helped to raise £3,262.50 for Worcester Cathedral as part of last year’s ‘Make a Will This Summer’ scheme. As part of the campaign, SME Solicitors and other...
What to do when your web developer disappears
It starts with unreturned emails. Then radio silence. Eventually you realise your developer has vanished and you’re left with a website you can’t access, can’t update, or can’t trust. It happens more often than you’d think. First:...
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