Brexit related assistance and signposting for businesses.

Following the changes the UK leaving the EU is causing, there are many resources, help and advice for businesses available out there. Please find some useful links below:

• Free 1-2-1 support to help you navigate Brexit
  London Business Hub advisers can offer free bespoke support to help you navigate the challenges around: employng & managing staff, managing data & intellectual property, importing & exporting with the EU, and business travel.
  London businesses can meet with an adviser for free, impartial and confidential advice and support. The advisor will discuss your specific challenges and help you to develop an action roadmap.
  Reserve your appointment today.

• Brexit Workshops
  London Business Hub are hosting a series of interactive workshops with expert advisers to discuss the challenges facing SMEs now the UK has left the EU. These workshops will give you and your business the tools needed to mitigate challenges across areas such as: new HR, Visa and employment regulations, changing regulation on GDPR & data sharing, and how to secure your IP.
  The next workshop, Doing Business in the EU: The New Landscape will take place on 24th February, between 10am-4:30pm.
  Reserve your place on the workshop here.

• Find out how Brexit affects your digital services.
  The UK is now outside the European Union’s ‘single market’. That means the UK is also outside the single market for data transfers and digital services. Almost all businesses now handle data in some form or another. Even if your main business is not in digital services, you can assume that you will be affected.
  This three-minute video will help you understand how to: protect your Intellectual Property (IP), Collect, Store & Transfer Data, and Check your Digital & Technology Services.
  Click here to view the video.

• London Business Hub Brexit Ready Podcast Series
  LBH have launched a podcast series to showcase businesses like yours talking about the challenges and opportunities they are facing. Hear from other businesses about how they prepared for the end of the transition period and how they are managing their business now that we have a deal.

We are always more than happy to answer any questions or queries, please get in touch at info@aldgateconnect.london.

Virtual Wellbeing Series

Join us for the first ever joint Virtual Wellbeing Series, brought to you by the City BIDs & Partnerships: Aldgate Connect BID, Cheapside Business Alliance, EC Partnership and Fleet Street Quarter.

The Virtual Wellbeing Series activities range from mindfulness workshops to creative classes, from food & drink to beauty sessions, from workout classes to tours of the City, and even include an Online Spy Game!

Please use the Eventbrite links below to book your free place and to receive the relevant links to webinars and kits. Please note that spaces may be limited so get booking now!

Week 1 – 15-19^th February 2021

• 15^th Feb at 1:00pm – Mindfulness-based Resilience Workshop with Mindful Globe
• 16^th Feb at 1:00pm – Mini Facial Workshop with Beauty Essence
• 17^th Feb at 6:15pm – Drink & Draw with Leyden Gallery
• 18^th Feb at 12:30pm – Barre Class with Fly

Week 2 – 22-23^rd February 2021

• 23rd Feb at 1:00pm – ‘Go Crazy with Kokadamas’ At Home Gardening Workshop with Jar & Fern (Tickets to be booked by 15^th Feb, to ensure kit delivery)
• 24^th Feb at 1:00pm – ‘How to Look Amazing on Zoom’ Workshop with Beauty Essence
• 24^th Feb at 6:15pm – Drink & Draw with Leyden Gallery
• 26^th Feb at 12:30pm – ‘Room to breathe’ Tour of Open Spaces in the City with City Guides

Week 3 – 1-5^th March 2021

• 2^nd Mar at 12:30pm – ‘Sanctuary in the City’ Public Art by Refugees and Immigrants Tour with City Guides
• 3^rd Mar at 3:15pm – ‘Spring Clean: Positive Habits Season’ Workshop with Charlotte Wiseman
• 3^rd Mar at 6:15pm – Drink & Draw with Leyden Gallery
• 4^th Mar at 5:30pm – Gin Tasting for Two with Workshop with City of London Distillery (Tickets to be booked by 18^th Feb, to ensure Tasting Kit delivery)

Week 4 – 8-12^th March 2021

• 9^th Mar at 12:00pm – Active Recovery Yoga Session with Pure Sports Medicine
• 10^th Mar at 6:15pm – Drink & Draw with Leyden Gallery
• 11^th Mar at 6:00pm – ‘Operation Pegasus’ The Online Spy Game with AIM Escape

Week 5 – 15-19^th March 2021

• 16^th Mar at 12:30pm – Barre Class with Fly
• 15-19^th Mar – ‘Take & Bake’ Pizza Making Kit with Homeslice

Many London SMEs have joined the Heart of the City as new members, ready to start their responsible business journeys. The applications are still open until 28th February 2021, so if you haven’t done so already, sign up your business for free now!

As an introduction to the new members and to give them a bit of new year inspiration, The Heart of the City spoke with Emma Cooke, Head of Citizenship at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. Emma is on their board advisory panel now, but she started out as a member some years ago, when she was doing responsible business alongside another role.

The Heart of the City asked Emma about how she got into responsible business, her work now and importantly, what she learned as a newcomer to responsible business and what tops she’d give new members!

Click here to read The Heart of the City’s Q&A with Emma Cooke.

As a BID, we understand the importance of Health and Wellbeing, especially in the current climate. We are currently in the process of planning future Health and Wellbeing events and activities and would greatly appreciate your feedback on what kind of activates you would like to see and take part in.

All of these initiatives will be hosted and funded by the BID and will be completely FREE to attend, created to support the Aldgate community. These events will also be professionally led by experts in the field.

We would greatly appreciate if you could take a few minutes to complete the short questionnaire below to help inform and guide our decisions on Health and Wellbeing in Aldgate.

In October 2020, the Aldgate Connect BID commissioned Steer to undertake an audit of the existing cycling facilities within the BID. The main objective of the audit was to develop a better understanding of what cycling provision currently exists, focusing on cycle routes, cycle parking, Santander docking stations and wayfinding.

Steer engaged heavily with the local community, namely including landowners, businesses and residents, to help formulate the basis of this report.

The research will be used as a guide to the future projects undertaken by the BID in order to improve the cycling experience for residents, workers and visitors.

The audit will assist with securing future improvements that reduce barriers to cycling, increase cycle parking, improve the relationship with the surrounding area and address issues effecting legibility.

Please view the report below:

Please do email the BID on info@aldgateconnect.london with any queries or questions.

New lockdwon grants to support businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

The Chancellor has announced grants for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.

The one-off top-up grants will be provided on a per property basis to businesses closed as a result of the latest restrictions as follows:

• £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
• £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000

A further £594 million is also being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses not eligible for the grants, that might be affected by the restrictions. Businesses should apply to their Local Authorities.

The new one-off grants are in addition to the existing business support, including grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen.

Visit the Business Advice Hub for practical guidance to help you operate in a COVID-19 Secure way during the pandemic.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the first part of Aldgate in Winter in December, we hope you enjoyed all the wonderful online events and the amazing light exhibitions!

We will be continuing into Spring with lots of online projects and ways to get involved. Below are some of the exciting projects happening these next few months that we would love for everyone to get involved in:

• Air Quality Superheroes – Calling all creative young minds! Young people across the area are invited to design a superhero with powers to tackle air pollution. 3 of the submissions will be turned into 3D lantern structures, to be included in Aldgate in Winter Spring!
• Sound Project – Get involved in our sound project: a Dawn Chorus for Aldgate! Get involved in community workshops and contribute to the creation of a new piece of music reflecting on the way nature crept back into the City during the first lockdown.
• Film Project – We’re looking for local individuals and groups to take part in a film project, inspired by the annual lantern parade. We’re looking for anyone part of the Aldgate community: residents, workers, community groups and anyone else interested! This film will feature as part of the Spring exhibition.
• And if you missed it… – There are photos and videos on the Aldgate in Winter Facebook group of the exhibition lanterns, choirs singing and the live performance from Drumworks!

Contact the CoL team to take part or find out more here (the webpage will be updated shortly with the Spring programme).

Together, let’s make Aldgate the brightest light in London! #AldgateinWinter

We are pleased to be a part of the Bunting Collective project and we love showcasing the amazing makers involved! Our next maker is – Louise!

The Bunting Collective is a community project aimed at bringing vibrancy and colour to the Petticoat Lane Market by hanging community made bunting, using the materials and fabrics from the local fabric shops in the market.

The Aldgate Connect BID, City of London Corporation, and the Borough of Tower Hamlets are proud to present a ‘Meet the Maker’ series. The series is showcasing the makers of the bunting, who are all members of the community with a passion and love for the area!

Meet the third maker of this series, Louise!
See what Louise had to say about the project below:

My name is Louise and I work for AECOM at Aldgate Tower, within the Interior Design team. I manage the financial lives of projects, however I love to be creative. I saw this opportunity and jumped at the chance of picking up the needle and thread again! The Bunting Collective project has now led me to make face masks from old clothes for family and friends. I’m also in the middle of redecorating the family static caravan which also provides a lot of joy.

The pandemic has been a real struggle emotionally; being so disconnected from colleagues has made working that bit harder. However, this project has made me feel a bit more inclusive.

I’ve really enjoyed taking part in the Bunting Collective project, as I’ve loved the community spirit of everyone coming together to create something that will make people smile.

Woohoo! It’s time for not 1, but 3 competitions to get your hands on a £50 #CityGiftCard to spend at your local businesses!

The City Gift Card has been created by the Aldgate Connect BID, Cheapside Business Alliance, Fleet Street Quarter and the EC Partnership, in partnership with City of London Corporation. It has been implemented to help and support local businesses within the City of London and to promote local spending; allowing you to support local businesses while buying the perfect gift for a loved one, friend or colleague!

For your chance to get your hands on a £50 #CityGiftCard, all you have to do is email us your best joke by ‪midnight on the 15th, 16th and 17th December to info@aldgateconnect.london ! Please feel free to get your joke on and enter all three times!

Winner will be contacted via email and announced on our social media the following working day. 

Purchasing a Card

To get your hands on a City Gift Card, click here for our website.

You’ll be able to top up your Card with the desired amount. You can also order multiple cards at once.

Want your business included on the Card?

The City Gift Card is designed to lock in additional money for participating businesses and encourage local spend. It is a Private Label Prepaid Mastercard, which can be purchased and given as a gift.

It is simple and FREE to sign up your business to the Gift Card, with all costs covered by the BIDs and Partnerships. To sign your business up, all you’ll need to do is sign our merchant participant letter and complete an online registration form. Please email Izzy at izabella@primera-corp.co.uk to receive the sign up link.

Once registered, we’ll be in touch to organise a test swipe and complete your registration on the programme.

We are pleased to be a part of the Bunting Collective project and we love showcasing the amazing makers involved! Our next maker is – Nya!

The Bunting Collective is a community project aimed at bringing vibrancy and colour to the Petticoat Lane Market by hanging community made bunting, using the materials and fabrics from the local fabric shops in the market.

The Aldgate Connect BID, City of London Corporation, and the Borough of Tower Hamlets are proud to present a ‘Meet the Maker’ series. The series is showcasing the makers of the bunting, who are all members of the community with a passion and love for the area!

Meet our youngest maker of this series, Nya!
See what Nya had to say about the project below:

My name is Nya and I am 9 years old. My connection with Aldgate is through my mum as she works for Tower Hamlets council and was one of the organisers of the Bunting Collective. I used to live in the area and went to St. Matthias Primary School near Brick Lane until we moved.

I go to school and am now in Year 5.  I love gymnastics, performing arts and making things. I started to make a cardboard dolls house last year and then started to make miniature pillows and covers for my dolls house. I also made a cushion cover out of my old unicorn sequin t-shirt. My interest in sewing began here. My mum asked me if I wanted to participate in the Bunting Collective and I said yes straight away, especially as it was in lockdown and I wanted something fun to do!

An interesting thing about me is that I am 9 years old and I am the CEO and founder of my own business called Own It Snacks (on Instagram). I run a mobile healthy tuck shop that sells healthy snacks that give back. I choose and make items that give back protein, energy, fibre and have low or no sugar. I also do healthy snack boxes, cookies and party bags. I started this as I was on a business course for kids that helped me. I have had a few bookings so far at a football club, a party booking and selling to family and friends. In the second lockdown I could not go to the football club to sell, so I had to think of a new idea and that is when I thought of sending healthy snack boxes in the post.

I really enjoyed when the creative pack came in the post, looking at the different materials and being part of the project. I also liked the material that other people had when I saw their photos. The best part was when all the parts came together, and I had finished my part of the bunting!

I did a walking video of Petticoat Lane Market last year and I think the bunting will be good because the designs are very colourful and it will make the market look more alive.

Three words I would use to describe Aldgate is busy, interesting and tempting (when I went to the market, there were so many things I wanted to buy!)