Cheshire businesses urged to sign-up to Peer Networks

Businesses in Cheshire and Warrington are being urged to sign-up to the final cohorts of Peer Networks taking place this year.

Peer Networks is a national, fully funded programme for SME owners and leaders who want to grow and develop their organisations.  

The programme brings together business owners from a range of sectors and specialisms from Cheshire and Warrington to generate new ideas, develop strategies, drive up productivity and find new solutions to problems they may be facing in their business.

The national programme is delivered in the sub-region by Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub, part of Cheshire and Warrington LEP and is delivered through online sessions by expert facilitators.

Three new cohorts are planned to start in November and December and businesses are being urged to sign-up now. A further one is planned for January specifically for hospitality and retail businesses.

Andy Devaney, Director at Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub, said: “We know that Cheshire and Warrington business owners have faced and are still facing a challenging environment and they are now looking at ways to drive growth in their businesses.

“Peer Networks is all about creating a supportive network amongst business leaders in our area, so they can learn from one another. Through the structured sessions with the help of an experienced facilitator, businesses can find solutions to the real issues they are facing, by working with other like-minded business leaders who are also facing similar challenges.”

Six cohorts have already started in Cheshire and Warrington, with more than 60 businesses taking part, including Warrington-based Claremont. The consultancy, design, and build agency attended the programme last year after the pandemic had hit many businesses hard.

Tim Frankland, Managing Director at Claremont, said: “I found the programme really interesting, being able to tap into how other businesses were dealing with the challenges that the pandemic was throwing up was invaluable even if it was only confirming that we weren’t missing a trick.

“The conversations with some of the younger members of the group, were invigorating, and full of energy and enthusiasm, which for an old dog like me was often like a breath of fresh air. Even if you don’t come out of it with a great idea for your own business, it’s worth doing just to remind you how you got to where you are, and not to forget the basics.

“The fact that the businesses are quite diverse gives you a really broad perspective on how other sectors operate and often there are little gems that help you think of things in slightly different way to help improve your own business.”

Businesses interested in signing up to the cohorts taking place are advised to visit this webpage or contact programme lead Mark Shepherd on 07494 869282.