Black Country Growth Hub

Coronavirus Information

As more support for businesses is announced, we will be updating our Coronavirus support page every week with the latest information and support measures.

Find various links and resources here

Planning for the future?

The UK has now left the EU, make sure you are considering this while making future plans concerning your business. Visit our support page below to find free online resources to help you.

Click here for support

Social Enterprise in the Black Country

Social care is a major, and growing economic sector. It contributed £4.2 billion (3.5%) to the West Midlands economy in 2015/16. The Black Country LEP is committed to supporting residential and domiciliary care providers to drive improvements in quality and meet requirements.

Visit the Social Care page

The Department of International Trade

The Department of International Trade have a dedicated team based in Wolverhampton who provide advice and practical support to businesses who want to export on an international level. They offer a variety of services, no matter the level your business is at.

Interested in exporting?

Follow Us on Twitter

Here are our latest updates about local business news, events and opportunities from in and around the Black Country’

Follow @bcgrowthhub

Tweets by bcgrowthhub

Case Studies

Find out what we do from people we’ve helped!

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Latest News

Call for applications extended by the Enabling Technologies & Innovation Competences Challenge Project

Enabling Technologies & Innovation (ETICC) is a project led by the Aston Institute of Photonics which offers small and medium businesses specialis...

Working capital to get through turbulent times from Finpoint

Read the full blog post at the Finpoint website by clicking here. 'By now, we’ve spoken to businesses in many sectors that are starting t...

West Midlands hosts first ever regional coronavirus impact meeting

Representatives from across the West Midlands attended the Government’s first ever regional impact meeting. The meeting, convened by West Mid...

BCGH in Conversation: Access to Finance during the COVID-19 Crisis

Dan Carins, Productivity Lead for the Black Country LEP Growth Hub, recently sat down with Johnathan Dudley who is the Head of Manufacturing a Crowe U...

Groups urged to bid for slice of new £200,000 Covid cash pot

Local organisations and community groups helping the vulnerable in the borough during the coronavirus pandemic are being urged to apply for a slice of...

How has COVID-19 impacted your business?

We want to hear from businesses in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton about the challenges and obstacles they are facing surrounding COVID-19...

Wolves in Business portal launched for critical support

City of Wolverhampton Council has today (Wednesday) launched a new business portal to further support city businesses through the coronavirus pandemic...

How to stay safe on public transport as lockdown restrictions begin to lift

1,700 CCTV cameras monitoring stations and key train, tram, and bus routes to spot issues and respond Transport operators, including West Midland...

How to work safely through COVID19 (GOVUK)

Guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic. The government, in consu...

Taskforce sets out ten priorities for the West Midlands economic recovery

A West Midlands road map to secure a successful post-Covid 19 economic recovery is to focus on 10 key goals, it was announced (Thursday May 7). Wit...

Keeping Intellectual Property in mind during COVID-19, featuring Forresters

Black Country Growth Hub: In Conversation This week Dan Carins, Productivity Lead at BCGH, approached Jagvir Purewal who is a patent attorney at Fo...

Black Country LEP supporting people and business through COVID-19

The Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit provides real time economic intelligence and analysis to support region wide strategic planning. Dai...

Black Country businesses urged to enter for Queen’s Awards for Enterprise

The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise have opened for 2021 entries and the Sandwell Business Ambassadors are urging Black Country businesses to appl...

Self-employed invited to get ready to make their claims for COVID-19 support (GOVUK)

From Monday 4 May, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will begin contacting customers who may be eligible for the government’s Self-Employment I...

Top-up to local business grant funds scheme (GOVUK)

A discretionary fund has been set up to accommodate certain small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme. The B...

Growth Hubs are providing important support to West Midlands businesses

Nearly 13,000 businesses in the West Midlands have been supported in the Covid-19 pandemic by Growth Hubs in the region. Companies ranging from sol...

Grassroots radio boosted through community fund (GOVUK)

Much-loved community radio stations that are at risk of closure can bid for cash grants to meet their urgent needs during the coronavirus outbreak, th...

New free online learning platform to boost workplace skills

Online platform ‘The Skills Toolkit’ will help people to build their skills during the coronavirus outbreak and beyond A new onlin...

Small businesses boosted by bounce back loans (GOVUK)

The new Bounce Back Loans scheme, recently announced by the Chancellor, will allow businesses to borrow between £2,000 and &pound...

New measures to protect UK high street from aggressive rent collection and closure

High street shops and other companies under strain will be protected from aggressive rent collection and asked to pay what they can during the coronav...

Coronavirus testing FAQs for employers of essential workers

Coronavirus testing for essential workers or their household self-isolating with symptoms, is vital to help get them back to their important work as s...

West Midlands recovery plan to be drawn up as scale of Covid-19 impact on regional economy is revealed

A recovery action plan is to be drawn up specifically tailored to help the West Midlands economy bounce back quickly once lockdown restrictions start...

Open Now: Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is now accepting applications. Employers can now claim online for a grant for 80% of their furloughed employees&r...