Building Resilience: Why every business needs a continuity plan
In an ever-changing world, businesses face a variety of risks, from natural disasters to cyberattacks, that can disrupt operations and threaten their survival.
The good news? With the right preparation, businesses can mitigate these risks and bounce back stronger than ever.
North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum (NYLRF) is committed to helping businesses prepare for emergencies through practical resources and expert guidance. One of the most effective tools they offer is a business continuity plan template, designed to help businesses identify critical operations, assess risks, and outline strategies to maintain operations during disruptions.
Why create a business continuity plan?
A business continuity plan is more than just a document—it’s a lifeline for your organisation. It ensures that your business can:
- Respond effectively to emergencies, minimising downtime.
- Protect critical operations and maintain essential services.
- Communicate clearly with staff, customers, and suppliers during a crisis.
- Recover quickly, reducing financial and reputational damage.
How to Get Started
NYLRF provides a user-friendly template to guide businesses through the process of creating a tailored continuity plan. The template includes:
- A checklist of essential supplies, equipment, and data backups.
- Guidance on identifying critical business functions and assessing risks.
- Tips for training staff and testing your plan to ensure its effectiveness.
You can access the template and additional resources here: Protect your business in an emergency | North Yorkshire Council
PR Media Workshop: How to Tell Your Story in the Media
In a fast-paced digital world, PR is arguably the most cost-effective, high impact way to build trust, raise profile and increase footfall. This hands-on 3-hour ‘boot camp’ is designed to empower you to understand what makes a story, how best to tell it, and how to master media relations.
Mayor Launches £2.5million Great Ideas Fund
Great Ideas, a new £2.5million programme as part of the Mayor’s Business Innovation Fund, will give businesses the ability to tap into expert advice and grants worth up to £60,000. The initiative will support businesses of all sizes to develop their new ideas for a product or service. It will also support businesses to take a developed idea to the next stage. Businesses with the most investment-ready proposals will take their ideas to a panel of experts from the region.
Steps into Digital: Digital Marketing Mastery - Scarborough
The Digital Marketing Mastery series is back by popular demand, hosted at Scarborough Rugby Club, and led by Katie Thompson, founder of content marketing service Katie Lingo. This three-part weekly workshop series is ideal for business owners and brand marketers who want to strengthen their online presence. Participants will learn practical strategies to improve search engine rankings while creating a seamless, user-friendly experience that attracts and converts customers.
Digital Marketing 2-Day Workshops
This in-person, 2-day course is designed to equip businesses in York & North Yorkshire with the essential digital marketing skills they need to feel more confident and grow. Coming to Richmond, Thirsk, York and Bentham.
5.65 million still to file as the Self Assessment deadline looms
Customers can start their tax return, save it and re-visit it as many times as they need to before they submit it. And, once they’ve sent it, the bill doesn’t have to be paid straight away, but does need to be paid before the 31 January deadline. The easiest way to pay is through the HMRC app. Customers can also set up notifications in the app to ensure they know when payments are due so they don’t miss a deadline.
Step into Meta for Business: Webinar Series
Unlock the power of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram with three action packed workshops. Come to all three to find out where to start and how to boost your organic, paid and sales growth on these enormous platforms, or pick and choose topics to suit your business. We’ve gathered a team of highly experienced and qualified Meta experts to help you get the most out of using Meta for your Business.
Set Up for Success with Google Business Tools: Lunch & Learn Webinar Series
This series will explore the free tools available from Google to help small businesses increase their online presence. Plus, you’ll learn how to leverage Google’s paid advertising platform for scalable growth without feeling like you are just wasting money. Participants will leave feeling confident to start using Google Tools to Improve their visibility, generate leads and make more sales online.
Fuel your business growth through great marketing, communications & branding
Every business needs a voice. Discover how powerful marketing, clear communications and a strong brand can transform your business. Join this webinar series to learn practical strategies that attract customers, build trust, and drive growth.
Smartphone Video Masterclass: One-day Workshops
The Smartphone Video Masterclass is back by popular demand, coming to Scarborough, Ingleton, Stokesley, Malton, York and Selby. Join our one-day hands-on video workshop designed to help businesses of all types and sizes take their first confident steps into video marketing.
A Fond Farewell to Our Exceptional Head of Delivery
This year marks the retirement of Liz Philpot, Head of Delivery for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, following an accomplished career. She will be sorely missed by colleagues and the businesses she has supported.
HMRC asks Self Assessment customers in Yorkshire and the Humber ‘What’s your filing style?’
With less than two months until the Self Assessment deadline, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is asking people filing their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year ‘What’s your filing style?’ and encouraging them to start now.
Tourism Business Booster: Create your winning Marketing Plan for 2026
Free one-day training for Tourism businesses across York & North Yorkshire - with sessions across Skipton, Scarborough, Northallerton, York and Harrogate. It’s a tough market and costs are rising all the time for hospitality and tourism businesses. This means that you need to increase revenue, and smarter marketing is one definite way forward.