Southport leads the countdown to The Good Business Festival 2022!

FAMILY values took centre stage as The Good Business Festival hosted its 1st countdown event earlier this month. Liverpool City Region's festival spirit that has previously delivered unforgettable global events will return in 2022 with The Good Business Festival.

Major brands and inspiring leaders from business, media, music and academia are leading what is the world's largest responsible business festival, formed around six showcase events across Liverpool City Region and culminating in three days of events running from 22 March to 24 March 2022. And, as part of the event's programme of showcase events, The Greater Good, Sefton businesses came together for a special event focusing on family businesses.

Held at Southport Market, which reopened earlier this year following a ₤1.4m refurbishment, it set the scene for an exciting series of countdown events to The Good Business Festival 2022.

Delivered in partnership with InvestSefton, Sefton Council's enterprise, business support and inward investment service, it gave audiences the chance to hear from a panel of Sefton based business owners, as they delved into the dynamics of working with family, the challenges it brings and how to move forward.

Among those taking part in the event were Julie Swarbrick, business growth advisor at:- InvestSefton; Peter Salt, Company Director at Immersive Interactive; and James Maddocks, Co-Director of Redwraps Ltd.

Norman Wallis, owner of Southport Pleasureland opened the event with the announcement that the much-loved attraction is to become net-zero, making it the 1st amusement park in the UK to do so.

A Sefton Council spokesperson said:- "It was fantastic to see so many Sefton businesses all under one roof at our incredible Southport Market eager to discuss, and hear about, the ups and downs of family business. We have some incredible entrepreneurs and thriving companies here in our borough, so it's great to be part of The Good Business Festival's legacy. It's so great to see events like this reinvigorating and reshaping the way we do business in a really positive way."

The Good Business Festival's eagerly anticipated in person return in 2022 will see events covering a range of topics, including housing, ethical consumerism, sustainable transport and ethical investment, as well as a focus on the young trailblazers who are designing sustainable systems for the future.

Since a digital version of the event took place in October 2020, The Good Business Festival has attracted global prominence for its imaginative blend of arts, culture and business focused on helping businesses future-proof themselves by adapting to new market realities and changing consumer and employee expectations.

Upcoming showcase events will take place in:- St Helens, Halton, Wirral, Liverpool City Centre and Knowsley.

Hosted across different quarters in the City Centre, venues for next year's events include:- Oh Me Oh My on Liverpool Waterfront, The University of Liverpool Guild of Students in the Knowledge Quarter, and CONTENT in the Baltic Triangle.

Major names taking part include Innocent, Arbonne, musician and activist Louis VI, as well as Joe Iles from The Ellen MacArthur Foundation; Kelly Beaver, CEO of Ipsos Mori; Felicia Odamtten, Founder of The Black Economists Network; Jude Kelly CBE, CEO and Founder of The WOW Foundation; Forbes 30 Under 30 and Founder of Bundlee Eve Kekeh; and Andrew Sandoz, CCO at Deloitte.

Joining them at the event to also share their insight will be a host of local businesses and speakers, including:- Joanne Holden, Sustainability Director at Peel L&P; Carl Beer, Chief Executive Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority; Dorcas Seb, multi disciplinary artist; The Regenda Group, while Liverpool City Region Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram will also be speaking.

Mayor of Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram said:- "The Good Business Festival has been on quite a journey since it was 1st launched. What was originally planned as a 3 day summit has transformed into a programme of virtual and in person events lasting more than a year. We know that the Coronavirus pandemic has hammered people and businesses across our Region and around the world but the time in lockdown last year also gave us an opportunity to pause and think about the kind of city Region, and world, we want to build. Throughout the last few years, we've delivered an unprecedented package of support to protect and grow the local economy before, during and after COVID, and have launched projects like The Good Business Festival to reimagining, revitalise and reshape the way that we do business. I'm sure we're all looking forward to be able to meet in person and have the festival we originally hoped for!"

The Greater Good showcase events will bring the event even closer to Regional business audiences on a tour of interesting and unusual venues across Liverpool City Region's boroughs.

Greater Good will focus on local good business issues with national and international significance, highlight pioneering local sectors and good business leadership and champion a greater understanding of purposeful business practices originating from each borough.

Claire McColgan MBE, Director at Culture Liverpool, said:- "The Greater Good events are an extremely exciting addition and will allow us to build momentum ahead of March. Each Regional event will complement a topic we'll be tackling at the festival, taking expert thinking on important issues and translating it into relevant, practical and inspirational knowledge for local SME's, business communities, start-ups and budding entrepreneurs. The events will be open to anyone to come and learn, teach and debate on the big topics of our time, whilst exploring 1 of the UK's most exciting Cities."

For more information about upcoming Greater Good events and tickets to The Good Business Festival, visit:- TheGoodBusinessFestival.Com.

Chapel Street in Southport Town Centre is sparkling once more!

SOUTHPORT BID has completed the project to light up the trees along the busy shopping street. The BID contracted Southport firm IllumiDex UK Ltd to carry out the work, which involved removing old lights which had passed their shelf life before replacing them with sparkling new LED lights in time for Christmas and to bring a warm glow for shoppers during the winter season.

The new lighting is similar to the:- 'boulevard of light' which Southport BID and IllumiDex have created along Lord Street in Southport.

That scheme saw 300,000 lights strung along both sides of the historic shopping and dining boulevard, with the initiative enjoying national acclaim and praise from the Prime Minister in Parliament.

The new lighting on Chapel Street has been enhanced by beautiful Christmas decorations which have also been placed along the street.

2021 has proved to be a very positive year for Chapel Street. The busy pedestrianised shopping area has seen new shops, cafes and businesses opening including:- The Fragrance Shop, One Below, Hugo Lounge and Athena Healthcare.

Work is currently taking place to transform the upper 3 storeys of the former BHS department store, which has been empty for the past 7 years, into 30 apartment hotel rooms.

Building work is also taking place to open a new Tesco store at the entrance to Southport Train Station.

Southport BID Chief Executive said:- "This is a great example of how Southport BID utilises our valued levy payers' contributions, including:- Chapel Street businesses, to improve our wonderful town to improve footfall and further strengthen it as a place residents and visitors want to visit. As part of our well received Christmas offering we were also delighted to see so many people head to Marble Place shopping centre on Chapel Street to be transported into a virtual festive magical world via the Digital Winter Wonderland experience created by Southport firm Immersive Interactive."

IllumiDex UK Ltd owner Steve Clayton said:- "We have enjoyed lighting up Chapel Street! We have installed beautiful new lighting in 15 trees there. We ripped out the old lights, which had been in there for the past seven years and were past their best. It looks really good there now. The lighting is similar to the lights we used along Lord Street."