SME News March 2017

SME NEWS / March 2017 5 NEWS , His Royal Highness is a keen supporter of entrepreneurship. As part of his support for British prosperity, he works to encourage economic growth and engages with a broad range of organisations, who pro- vide programmes and schemes to facilitate the growth of small- er entrepreneurial ventures and companies, including accelera- tors and incubators. He also has several Entrepreneurship Patron- ages. King’s Lynn Innovation Centre was opened by Nwes in June 2016, and is partnered with New Anglia Local Enterprise Partner- ship, and King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council. The Duke was keen to understand the impact the centre is already hav- ing on entrepreneurs and the lo- cal business community, and took the time to talk with tenants and visitors to the centre. Chris Girdlestone, Managing Di- rector of Hut 42, a new digital, software and app development business, which moved into KLIC in November 2016, is very posi- tive about having the opportuni- ty to talk to His Royal Highness about the opportunities the King’s Lynn Innovation Centre has al- ready brought to the business. “West Norfolk has previously lacked a strong voice for inno- vation. King’s Lynn Innovation Centre has given Hut 42 the op- portunity to have a professional base and to make new business connections.” Chris explains. The visit by The Duke of York is exciting. It’s recognition that small businesses are on-the-up due to technology and innovation ena- bling us to compete with larger organisations.” Following a presentation by Nwes Chief Executive, Kevin Horne, His FSB National Chair- man, Mike Cherry, said: “This gives small businesses stability and certainty that Brexit will not mean sudden big changes in regulation over the next two years. While transferring EU regulations into domestic UK law should eventually allow an overhaul of some of the more burdensome processes, which in- hibit productivity, it is in no-one’s interest for there to be a cliff-edge moment. “We look forward to working with the government to make sure that the transition for small business- es over the next two years is a smooth one. Post-Brexit, small businesses will want the govern- ment to make some regulations simpler to comply with, allowing small firms to grow more easily. “FSB has already enjoyed strong engagement with the Department for Exiting the EU and we look forward to small businesses be- ing given as much advice as pos- sible in the run up to Brexit and beyond.” FSB Welcomes Outline of Great Repeal Bill Enterprise agency, Nwes was delighted to welcome His Royal Highness the Duke of York to the King’s Lynn Innovation Centre (KLIC), its flagship business centre inWest Norfolk, on Friday 17March. Royal Highness enjoyed a tour of the facilities. Meeting delegates who were attending a free busi- ness skills workshop with Nwes Trainer, John Clarke, The Duke was interested to learn more about their businesses and aspi- rations for the future. After talking to KLIC tenants, in- cluding Hut 42, Anglia IT Solu- tions, and the local BNI network- ing group, His Royal Highness visited the co-working suite of KLIC. This shared business space offers individual desks at low cost to entrepreneurs to give them the opportunity to grow. “The Duke understood that busi- ness has changed a great deal in recent years,” explains co-work- ing tenant, John Chandler of Chandler Design Associates. It’s more technology based now, and he was interested in hearing more about how we deal with change and keep pace.” Paul Keen, of Worldwide Envi- ronmental Services, agrees. “The Duke’s visit was very good. He un- derstands that business in King’s Lynn is just as important as any- where else. He was very knowl- edgeable and understood the chal- lenges faced by small businesses today and how King’s Lynn Innova- tion Centre supports us.” Nwes Chief Executive, Kevin Horne, was also enthusiastic about the Royal visit. “King’s Lynn and West Norfolk is a hotbed for innovation. It’s a place where en- trepreneurs and innovators can follow their aspirations and can meet their goals, aims and ob- jectives. The visit to the King’s Lynn Innovation Centre by His Royal Highness Duke of York has helped bring this to the fore.” Find out more about how King’s Lynn Innovation Centre, here: www.nwes.org.uk The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has welcomed the publication of the government’s white paper on the Great Repeal Bill.