Winter scene at Afton
Reader Susan Limpitlaw, Ayr, sent this wintry picture of Afton Water. Send your pictures to news@ayrshirepost. co.uk
A group of special needs children and their parents went on a day trip to Wonderwest in Ayr in 1992- thanks to the Royal Mail Delivery Service. Three bus loads including Postman Pat and his cat, Jess, enjoyed a fab day out.
Their previously planned trip to Rothesay had to be cancelled and so when Royal Mail said they would help out, the children were delighted.
A new mentoring programme to support small businesses in Ayrshire has been launched by BT.
The scheme, in partnership with Digital Boost, is a free non-profit platform which unites digital experts with leaders of small companies.
BT has pledged to deliver “free one-to-one coaching sessions” to at least 1,000 small businesses and is encouraging small firms across Scotland to register their interest.
The initiative is part of its Small Business Support Scheme, which launched last summer.
The mentoring initiative is open to all BT employees and has been successfully trialled with a number of small businesses prior to launch.
BT has enlisted the expertise of its colleagues across the business – including Senior Executives – to upskill small business on a range of topics, including Cyber Security, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, and more.
Digital Boost will connect individuals from small businesses with relevant BT experts via its free online platform, where small businesses are able to register their interest in booking a free virtual mentoring session.
BT launched its Small Business Support scheme last summer – a broad range of measures to help small businesses get better positioned for growth during and beyond the pandemic.
The scheme aims to do this by boosting the connectivity, cashflow and confidence that many small businesses say they lack as a result of the ongoing public health crisis.
The new mentoring programme forms a key part of BT’s efforts to drive skills and optimism amongst small firms.
It follows an earlier survey conducted by BT and Small Business Britain revealing that more than half (53 per cent) lack confidence in the future of their business.
Some 63 per cent of small firms felt they needed more support in marketing and sales; 44 per cent wanted more assistance with digital skills; while 36 per cent lacked skills in building business resilience.
BT said it is responding by opening up access to free, expert advice to 1,000 small firms initially, with a view to further expanding the reach of the programme over the coming months.
Alan Lees, BT director for corporate and public sector in Scotland, said: “Helping small businesses to acquire new skills and boost their confidence during these exceptionally challenging times is a central part of BT’s Small Business Support Scheme.
“We’ve already equipped a further 20,000 small businesses with digital skills since the launch of the scheme and now we’re going even further by introducing a free mentoring programme.
“By partnering with Digital Boost we can engage our own colleagues around the need to step up and support small businesses, with experts around the businesses volunteering their time as BT mentors.”