Ambleside Rural Growth Hub Booklet Print

Rural Growth Hub The Lake District centre for business growth Providing a range of services to help rural businesses and organisations grow and prosper

Rural Growth Hub —helping businesses develop Small businesses will benefit from the exciting range of services at the new Rural Growth Hub based at the University of Cumbria’s Lake District campus in Ambleside thanks to this development part of Cumbria LEP’s Rural Growth Network pilot.

The university is a partner in the Cumbria Business Growth Hub and Rural Growth Network.

Both initiatives offer a great range of support and opportunities to businesses including an exciting calendar of business related short courses, events, workshops, seminars and master classes.

High quality The Rural Growth Hub will help micros, SME’s, start-ups and community groups develop and grow by providing a range of facilities including office space, hot-desking, co-working space, a virtual reception, and the ability to utilise high quality meeting and seminar space. In addition free wi-fi access and excellent super fast 100mg broadband connectivity is available.

There are 11 Growth Hubs in Cumbria. Most are operational with Ambleside the first to provide rentable workspace.

Innovation The hub will support the sustainability of our rural communities by encouraging business collaboration, entrepreneurship and innovation. It will provide businesses with an exciting range of events and workshops focused on business needs and through the broader growth hub network access to bespoke business support services.

Services for business The Rural Growth Hub is an integral part of the University of Cumbria’s Ambleside campus and businesses will be part of our wider university community. The hub acts as an interface between academics, students, established businesses, start-ups, business support services.

The range of services include: • Academic expertise in marketing, IT, HRM, finance and accounting • bespoke consultancy and research • placing a student or graduate in your business for a defined period of time to work on a business critical project. Financial assistance is available subject to terms and conditions • providing eligible businesses with access to a variety of support services, including academic expertise, placement services, training and development via the Cumbria Rural Growth Hub initiative. Part-funding available subject to terms and conditions • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships • access to university expertise in the Institute of Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS), Department of Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies and the National School of Forestry.

Rural Growth Hub —helping businesses develop (continued) Services for students University students or those considering enrolling also have access to an excellent range of services including: • accredited courses for business education • advice and support from university student enterprise services • advice on entrepreneurship and business start-ups • work placement opportunities with local businesses • study and meeting space with high-speed wi-fi access • access to extensive university academic resources Partners The Cumbria Business Growth Hub and Rural Growth Network project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund Programme 2007 to 2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs.

This funding is provided via The Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Cumbria County Council with support from the Cumbria Chamber of Commerce.

To find out how you can benefit, please visit www.cumbria.ac.uk/ruralgrowthhub

Rural Growth Hub —Business space Great value office space, hot desking facilities, co-working space, meeting rooms and conferencing facilities in the heart of the Lake District in Ambleside Room Beehive Hot Desking - Low Nook - A3 Low Nook - Board Room Co-working - Low Nook - A6*

Capacity

Month

Full day

Half day

Charity

Evening*

up to 45

POA

£170

£85

£55

£55

N/A

£60

£10

£5

Same price

N/A

up to 12

N/A

£75

£40

£30

£30

up to 2 desks

£100

N/A

N/A

Same price

N/A

Additional Notes: *Co-working - minimum term of 3 months. Half day hire equates to a 4hr session. Hot desking hire is per person. Charity rates quoted are for a half day session.

Office Facilities: Office rents vary from £172 per calendar month to £390 per calendar month based on a standard rate of £19.53 per square foot – please contact us for a tour of our business office spaces Hot-desking: Use of Low Nook A3 hot-desk facilities can be booked flexibly, either for a monthly period (where it would be expected that there would be no more than three days per week when the facilities are used) or per day/half day.

You will also have access to wi-fi internet, a table and preferential rates for meeting room hire.

Co-working* Use of Low Nook A6 co-working office can be booked on a shorter term basis, minimum term three months, securing the use of a dedicated desk for 5 days per week. Ideal for workers needing temporary office space, those taking a first step towards permanent office space, or those seeking to be part of a community of freelance workers.

Equipment Both Low Nook and Beehive have wired and wireless 100Mb super fast broadband access included in the rental rates.

• B eehive: Interactive Smart Board with connection for personal lap top and projector • L ow Nook Boardroom: A portable 50” digital display screen and connection for personal laptop.

•O ptional Telephony Services: An optional desk based telephony service is available with line rental rates of £10 per month plus VAT per extension, this includes a mail box, call charges are in addition.

•V irtual Reception service: for those who take up the request for desk based telephony then a virtual reception service is available at an additional charge.

Catering facilities On site there is the Barn Café serving hot and cold light snacks. Catering is available for meetings and events. In addition there is a large kitchen for use by Low Nook tenants, including hotdesking and co-working clients.

Enquiries Reception, University of Cumbria, The Barn, Rydal Road, Ambleside, Cumbria. LA22 9BB. Telephone: 015394 30274 email:amblesidegateway@cumbria.ac.uk

Rural Growth Hub Floor Plans The Beehive

University of Cumbria, Ambleside

Low Nook Ground Floor

A6

A7

A3

A2

A4

Low Nook 1st Floor

B1

B3

B16 B12

B11

B10

B7

B15 B8

Low Nook 2nd Floor

C3 C5

C4

Winning in the age of now Cumbria’s premier business support programme

Cumbria Business Growth Hub t: 0844 257 84 50 e: info@cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk w: www.cumbriagrowthhub.co.uk