Event will showcase support offered to Leicestershire’s small and medium-sized enterprises

The success stories of a project designed to support Leicestershire businesses and organisations will be revealed at a special showcase hosted by the University of Leicester.

The event will celebrate the achievements of the £2.6m GreenerFuture Leicestershire project, which has supported local communities and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve efficiency, strengthen resilience and drive innovation.

Visitors to the showcase will be able to find out about the project’s Business Advisory Service – a programme providing tailored sustainability advice, practical tools and resources and training opportunities for businesses across the county. Many of the tools developed will remain freely available to local businesses after the project concludes, creating a legacy of support.

The showcase, which takes place on Wednesday 8 October, will also highlight progress made across the project’s other strands, including:

• work with local authorities on energy governance and planning
• the development of community energy models for homes, public buildings and business parks
• a new local area energy planning (LAEP) framework and innovative visualisation tool that enables decision-makers to see the practical opportunities for sustainable growth.

Professor Paul Baines, Head of Executive Education and Project Lead at the University of Leicester, said “The Advisory Service has been a real game-changer for SMEs in Leicestershire. By combining academic expertise with business insight, we’ve created practical support that helps companies thrive in a changing economy.

“This project has been about building resilience and opportunity. The showcase is our chance to celebrate the businesses leading the way and to explore what comes next for the county.”

One of the county businesses to benefit from the project was coach hire firm, Robert Travel Group, in Hugglescote.

Its sales director, Sally Walder, said: “GreenerFuture Leicestershire’s team was incredibly supportive in providing guidance and advice on strengthening our sustainability policy, and as a result of this, we now have a company green team.

“I would recommend any business who is starting their journey to engage with GreenerFuture Leicestershire and would like to thank the team once again for all of its invaluable support.”

The event will feature business case studies, awards for participating SMEs and a panel discussion with local leaders and funders on the future of sustainability support in Leicestershire. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network over refreshments and explore how the project’s findings can support future economic prosperity, energy security and innovation in the region.

The event takes place at the University of Leicester’s Brookfield campus, on Wednesday 8 October, between 4pm and 6pm. Attendees can book their free place on the website.

In addition to the event, a limited number of fully funded places are still available on the University’s Climate Leadership and Action Programme – a CPD-certified course designed to give business leaders the skills and confidence to future-proof their organisations. The final cohort begins on Monday 27 October – find out more and apply on the website.