Unemployment has soared by 145% in the West of England since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures published today, with just nearly 40,000 people claiming jobless benefits. At the same time, around 22% of the region’s workforce – 132,600 people – have been furloughed while job vacancies have fallen sharply, down...
With the lockdown easing and more businesses re-opening, the workplace psychologists and designers at Interaction have developed an in-depth guide to help companies prepare for their return to the office safely, confidently and responsibly. Safely It doesn’t need to be complicated. But you do need to be thorough. It starts with following government and HSE guidance, developing policies and communications....
An innovative Bath firm co-founded by former Bath and England rugby player Lee Mears is bringing together physicians, elite athletes and academics to build pioneering software helping people thrive. T-Cup offers personalised support through technology and experts which is designed to help individuals find the right blend between health, happiness and success – using...
Bath-based travel tech start-up Tickitto has booked itself onto a period of expansion after receiving $700,000 (£563,850) in funding. The firm, which aims to help travel retailers access tickets to events and travel-related experiences through one single connection, will to use the money from the pre-seed round to scale its engineering team and build...
Rural broadband provider Truespeed has started to build its network in Wells – with a pledge to present the historic city with gigabit-capable broadband connectivity in time for Christmas. The Keynsham-based firm got the green light at the start of this month. The goal is to connect people who have signed up to Truespeed’s...
Somerset-based upmarket fashion brand Mulberry is planning to shed hundreds of jobs as it struggles to overcome the massive cost of the Covid-19 pandemic on the business. The firm, best known for its luxury leather bags, employs 1,140 staff in the UK – around half of them at its head office and factory at...
Three buildings from the Bath area – a new university campus, a community hub and an architects’ office – are in the running for a major regional architecture award. Bath Spa University’s Locksbrook Campus, the community hub at the city’s Mulberry Park housing development and architecture firm Stonewood Design’s office in Corsham are among...
A film reflecting Bath’s uncharacteristically silent streets during lockdown has been produced by a recent graduate and a visual content producer at Bath Spa University. Lockdown Lullaby was made by Eve Betts in collaboration with BA (Hons) acting graduate Naomi Knox, who supplied a self-scripted spoken word recital about Bath and her lessons learned during...
Small and medium-sized Bath businesses investing in digital innovation to address challenges arising from Covid-19 can access grants of between £10,000 and £40,000 under a new scheme started by UWE Bristol. The university’s £1m Digital Innovation Fund is aimed at helping firms ranging from start-ups and micro businesses to more established organisations as they...
Business West, the region’s largest business organisation, has joined bodies representing business, education and employment in urging the government to rethink its controversial quarantine rules for travellers arriving in the UK. In an open letter to the home, foreign and transport secretaries, Business West, UK Hospitality, Universities UK and others argue that it was...
