Cheshire East Business Support CONNECT+

Connecting business with resources, expertise and funding.

Fuelling Growth, Driving Efficiency

Unlock Finance and Productivity for Your Business

The Business Support CONNECT+ events are open to leaders and owners of SME businesses with a base in Cheshire East. To secure a place, please register interest.

Secure your place

Join us for a practical and insight-packed session where finance expertise meets engineering innovation — helping you access the right funding and uncover smarter ways to reduce waste, boost efficiency, and grow your business with confidence.

This event brings together financial know-how and productivity insight, giving you the tools to unlock growth through the right funding and smarter operations. Whether you’re looking to secure investment, scale your operations, or streamline your processes, this session will equip you with the practical tools and knowledge to take your business to the next level.

Tuesday 7th October 2025 | 09:30 – 12:30 | Ashley, Cheshire, WA14 3QF

Our Event Topics:

Accessing Funding, Finance & Grants that can help grow your business

This practical session will help you navigate the complex world of business finance. Whether you're scaling up, launching a new product, or expanding into new markets:

help you to explore your funding options, understand what’s available, and learn the do’s and don’ts of securing finance for growth.
equip you with the knowledge to make confident funding decisions.
Discover if you are investment ready
How to assess which type of finance suits your business best
Find the right funding to grow your business

You will also have the opportunity to learn more abut the Business Growth Grant and speak to the advisers about a potential application.

Smarter Ways to Identify Business Efficiency & Waste Reduction

AMRC Cymru's drive to develop a digital analysis tool for the identification & reduction of Lean Wastes in a business.

Hear how you can learn from Lean principles, tracing their origins through history all the way through to the Toyota Production System and their modern application. Delving into the eight key lean wastes—Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Non-utilised Talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, and Extra-Processing (DOWNTIME) to explore practical examples of each for any business.

A unique opportunity to hear about the development of a new assessment tool designed to systematically identify and measure these wastes within an organisation.

Ultimately, this tool will provide businesses with a clearer, data-driven understanding of operational inefficiencies, enabling the pinpointing of specific areas for improvement and streamline processes more effectively.

Meet our Speakers

Philip Hargreaves

BIC Innovation

Phil is a Commercial Finance specialist, with extensive experience of working within the commercial finance and business arenas. He is adept at assessing, reviewing, and critiquing commercial business plans and associated financial forecasts for financial expansion/grants/funding opportunities.

With over 45 years in Finance, Phil has a strong track record including supporting local SMEs to access c £200m in Funding Offers covering debt-based products, early-stage equity and grants and has managed & underwritten in excess of £500m in Commercial Funding transactions.

Mark Bayley-Smyth

Cheshire East Business Support Hub

Mark leads the team at the Cheshire East Business Support Hub.

The hub offers a range of support whether you are an individual on your journey to starting a business, an existing business looking to grow and expand, or an organisation looking to invest in Cheshire East.

The team can also assist you with the development of a grant application.

Matt Groves

Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)

Matt is a highly capable and innovative engineer with over three years of experience at the AMRC, contributing to diverse projects spanning the design of scientific instrumentation to systems research and development, demonstrating inquisitive technical and analytical skillsets. His practical industry experience is underpinned by a robust academic foundation, including biomedical engineering and robotics which has led to the development of a highly effective business analytical tool.

The Productivity Improvement Programme is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through Cheshire East Council and delivered by AMRC and BIC Innovation.

Event Location

Stock Farm

Ashley Road, Ashley, Cheshire, WA14 3QF

Set in the heart of Cheshire, 10 minutes from Manchester Airport, 30 minutes from Manchester city centre and 45 minutes from Liverpool.

Stock Farm Barn

Part of the Tatton Estate.

Tatton Estate stands as Cheshire East's most expansive family owned private estate, spanning 5,500 acres and encompassing 400 diverse commercial and residential properties. Their approach fuels the mission to curate thriving communities and businesses, seamlessly integrated after their villages and farmsteads.

This event is brought to you as part of Cheshire East’s Productivity Improvement Programme (PIP), which provides resources and expertise to boost productivity and foster sustainable growth for local businesses. The PIP is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through Cheshire East Council and delivered by The AMRC and BIC Innovation

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